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Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


23  WIST  MAIN  STRieT 

WMSTIR.N.Y.  K)80 

(716)  873-4S03 


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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


to 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibliographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


D 


D 


D 


D 
D 


n 


D 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couieur 


I      I    Covers  damaged/ 


Couverture  endommagde 


Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaurde  et/ou  pelliculie 


I      I    Cover  title  missing/ 


Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 


I      I    Coloured  maps/ 


Cartes  gdographiques  en  couieur 


Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couieur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 


I      I    Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 


Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couieur 

Bound  with  other  material/ 
Relii  avec  d'autres  documents 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  re  liure  serrie  peut  causer  de  i'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  intirieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajout^es 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte, 
mais,  lorsque  cela  Atait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  6ti  filmies. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  suppl^mentaires; 


l.'Institut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  dtd  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-dtre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  una 
modification  dans  la  mdthode  normale  de  filmage 
sont  indiquds  ci-dessous. 


I      I   Coloured  pages/ 


Pages  de  couieur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagies 


□    Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Pages  restaur^es  et/ou  pellicul^es 

r~~L>^age8  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
U^    Pages  d^color^es,  tachetdes  ou  piqu^es 

□    Pages  detached/ 
Pages  ddtachdes 

rTT/^Showthrough/ 
I— I    Transparence 

□    Quality  of  print  varies/ 
Qualiti  inigale  de  {'impression 

□    Includes  supplementary  material/ 
Comprend  du  materiel  supplimentaire 

□    Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 


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Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  iti  filmdes  A  nouveau  de  fapon  i 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  filmA  au  taux  de  reduction  indiquA  ci-dessous. 


10X 

14X 

18X 

22X 

i-SX 

30X 

v^ 

1 

12X 

16X 

20X 

24X 

28X 

32X 

1 

Tha  copy  filmed  her*  hat  b««n  reproduced  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 


L'exempiaire  filmA  fut  reproduit  grdce  it  ia 
gAnArositA  da: 


University  de  Slierbroolce 


University  de  Sherbroolce 


The  imeges  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specificationa. 


Las  imagas  suivantes  ont  M  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin.  compte  tanu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  nettet^  de  l'exempiaire  film*,  at  an 
conformity  avec  las  conditions  du  contrat  da 
filmage. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illuatrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copiea  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  psge  with  a  printed  or  illuatrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illuatrated  impression. 


The  iaat  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shell  contain  the  symbol  ^^(meening  "CON- 
TINUED").  or  the  symbo!  V  (meaning  "EIMO"), 
whichever  applies. 


Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  ia  couverture  en 
pepier  est  imprimte  sent  filmte  en  commenpant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
derniire  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration.  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  salon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  filmAs  en  commenqant  par  la 
premiere  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
ia  darnlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
derniire  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  -^  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN  ". 


Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc..  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  In  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc..  peuvent  dtre 
filmAs  A  des  taux  de  reduction  diff^rents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  cliche,  il  est  filmi  d  partir 
de  I'angle  sup^rieur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas.  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'imagas  n^cessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  mAthodo. 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

:    -i 


A   HISTORY 


OF 


THE   IRISH   SETTLERS 


IN 


NORTH   AMERICA, 


FROM  THE  EARLIEST  PERIOD  TO  THE   CENSUS  OP   1860. 


Q(J 


BY  THOMAS  D'ARCY  McGEE, 

▲UTHOa  OP  "  LIVS8  OF  THE  1RI8H  WRITERS,"   "  ART  MoMUBBOQH,"   "  O'OONNBUi 

AND  HIS  FRIENDS,"   ETC.,   ETC. 


"  Westward  the  star  of  empire  takes  Its  way ; 
The  three  firat  acts  already  past, 
The  fourth  shall  close  it,  with  the  closing  day ; 
Karth'a  noblest  empire  is  the  last." 

Bishop  Bbrkelt.    A.  D.  1730. 


Inclyte,  geng  hominum,  milite,  pace,  fide. 

Bt.  Domatcs,  o/Fiuole. 


BOSTON: 

OFFICE   OF   THE    "AMERICAN   CELT." 

1851. 


V    t 


' 


I  .i 


Bntered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1850,  hj 

THOMAS    D'ARCY    MoGEE, 

In  tha  Clerlc'i  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  District  of  Massachusetta. 


STEBKOTVPRD  BT 

HOBART   &    KOBBINS; 

MBW  BNOLAND  TVPB  AND   STBRBOTVPB  FODNDBRT, 
B  U  B  TO  N. 


TO 

MY  EMIGRANT  COUNTRYMEN 

IN 

THB   UNITED   STATES  AND   CANADA, 

Aa 

AS  AOKNOWLEDOBIEN'T  OF  THK  MANY  KINDNESSES  BECEIVED  DT7BIN0  MT 

SECOND  RESIDENCE  AMONQ  THEM, 


IS  AFFECTIONATELY  DEDICATED. 


(  ^ 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER    I. 

THB  UEOEin>  OF  «  GBEAT  IBXLA5D "  AND  OF  SAINT  BRAKDAN  —  NOBWXOUN 
AOOOONT  —  IBI8H  ACCOUNT  —  ITALIAN  AND  SPANISH  ACCOUNTS,       ...         17 

CHAPTER    II. 

THE  FIRST  IBISH  EMIGRANTS,  —  IN  BARBADOES  —  IN  PENNSTLVANIA  —  IN  NEW 
YORK — IN  MARYLAND — IN  VIRGINIA  —  IN  THE  CAROUNAS  — IN  KENTUOKT 
—  ADVENTURE  OF  SIMON  BUTI£R  IN  DELAWARE, 2S 

CHAPTER    III. 

THE  IRISH  IN  tIASSACHUSETTS  —  IN  NEW  HAMPSHIRE  —  IN  MAINE  —  BISHOP 
BEBKELT  IN   RHODE  ISLAND  —  HIS  GIFT  TO  TALE  COLLEGE, 83 

CHAPTER    IV. 

THE  EMIGRANTS  IN  ARMS  —  ADVENTURE  OF  JOHN  STARK— THE  IRISH  BRIGADE  IN 
CANADA  —  INDIAN  WARS  —  PEACE  OF   1763  —  DAWN  OF  THE  REVOLUTION,       89 

CHAPTER    V. 

OPENING  OF  THE  REVOLUTIONARY  ERA  —  IRISH  AT  BUNKER'S  HILL  —  DEATH  OF 
MAJOR  M'CLEARY  —  GENERAL  KNOX  —  THE  CLINTONS  —  THE  PENNSYLVANIA 
LINE  —  MOYLAN'S  DRAGOONS, 44 

CHAPTER    VI. 

THE  CANADIAN  EXPEDITION — DEATH  OF  MONTGOMERY  —  BURIAL  I'ffiFUSED  TO  HIS 
REMAINS  BY  THB  BRITISH  —  RETREAT  OF  THE  INVADING  CORPS  —  THOMPSON, 
SULLIVAN  AND  GATES  IN  COMMAND  —  ADVANCE  OF  BURGOYNE  —  STARK'S  VIC- 
TORY AT  BENNINGTON  —  SURRENDER  OF  BURGOYNE 49 

CHAPTER    VII. 

IRISHMEN  IN  THB  UNITED  STATES  NAVY  —  COMMODORE  BARRY  —  CAPTAIN  MAOOBa 

CAPTAIN   O'BRIEN  —  MIDSHIPMAN   MACDONOUGH  —  PURSER  MEASE BARRY'S 

LIEUTENANTS,   MURRAY,   DALE,   DECATUR,  AND  STEWART 58 

CHAPTER    VIII. 

DISSATISFACTION  AT  CERTAIN  CONGRESSIONAL  PROMOTIONS  —  GENERALS  ROCHE  FER- 
MOY  AND  ANDREW  LEWIS  —  THE  CAMPAIGNS  OF  1777  AND  1778,  IN  NEW  JERSEY 
—  "MAD  ANTHONY  WAYNE" — ADJUTANT  GENERAL  HAND  —  "THE  OONWAT 
cabal" — COLONEL  FITZGERALD,  AIDE  DE  CAMP  TO  WASHINGTON,  HIS  GAL- 
LANTRY AT  PRINCETON  —  CONTRIBU'^ION  OF  THE  IRISH  MERCHANTS  OF  PHILA- 
DELPHIA,        .57 

1* 


VI  CONTENTS.      ■      i  ^        "'i  /•;•■■    : 

• '  ■  ■  .'  '•■*••  "." 

CHAPTER   IX. 

mSHMBK  IS  OTVUi  service  DUBINO  the  BEVOLUnONAaT  ERA  —  POUOT  01  THB 
riRST  CONGRESS  TOWARDS  IRELAND  —  CHARLES  THOMPSON,  OF  UAGHERA,  8E(^ 
BETART  TO  CONORESS  — THE  DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE  —  EIOHT  IRISH 
SIGNERS  —  THE  FEDERAL  CONSTITUTION  ADOPTED  —  SIX  IRISH  AUTHORS  OF  THAT 
INSTRUMENT — EARLY  IRISH  GOVERNORS, 64 

CHAPTER   X. 

COLONIAL  PENAL  LAWS  —  RISE  OF  CATHOLIC  MISSIONS  —  WASHINGTON'S  REPLY  TO 
THE  CATHOLIC  ADDRESS  —  ST.   HARl'S  COLLEGE 73 

CHAPTER    XI. 

IRISH    SERVICES  TO  EDUCATION  AND    SCIENCE  IN    ABIERICA  —  ALLISON — CHARLES 
•  THOMPSON  —  DAVID    RAMSAY  —  FULTON  —  COLLES  —  ADRIAN  —  MATTHEW    CA- 
REY  81 

CHAPTER   XII. 

WASHINGTON,  PRESIDENT  —  PARTY  ORGANIZATION  INTO  FEDERALISTS  AND  REPUBLI- 
CANS—  INFLUENCE  OF   JEFFERSON   OVER    THE   IRISH    COMMUNITY THB    UNITED 

IRISH     ORGANIZATION     IN    AMERICA  —  ADAMS,    PRESIDENT THE     ALIEN    AND 

SEDITION   LAWS  —  THE  FEDERAL  RIOTS  —  HON.  RUFUS  KING, 86 

CHAPTER    XIII. 

JEFFERSON,  PRESIDENT  —  THE  REFUGEES  OF  1798  —  SAMPSON  AND  MACNBVIN  — 
T.  A.  EMMET  —  THE  BROTHERS  BINNS  —  BURR  AND  BLENNERHABSETT  —  THB 
RIGHT  OF  SEARCH  —  MADISON,  PRESIDENT  —  JOHN  BMIUE,  UNITED  STATES 
SENATOR  —  WAR, 90 

CHAPTER    XIV. 

THE  IRISH  IN   THE  AMERICAN  NAVY  DURING    THE  WAR  OF   1812-16 — ORIGIN  OV 

THE     WAR CAPTAIN     BOYLE'S     CRUISE CAPTAIN     BLAKELY  —  COMMODORES 

BUAW,  MACDONOUGH,   AND  STEWART 98 

CHAPTER    XV. 

IHB  WAR  BY  LAND  —  BATTLES  ON  THE  NORTHERN  FRONTIER  —  MASON  —  O'NEALE  — 
LANDING  OF  GENERAL  ROSS  —  TREATMENT  OF  NATURALIZED  CITIZENS  TAKEN  IN 
ARMS  —  SUCCESSES  OF  ROSS  —  ANDREW  JACKSON  ON  THE  MISSISSIPPI  —  HIS 
CAREER  AND  CHARACTER  —  BATTLE  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  —  PEACE,  ....      103 

CHAPTER    XVI. 

JACKSON,  PRESIDENT  —  UNITED  STATES  BANK  —  "THE  IRISH  VOTE" — EDWARD 
KAVANAGH,  MINISTER  TO  PORTUGAL  —  SENATOR  PORTER  —  JACKSON'S  PARTIAL- 
ITY TO  IRISH  EMIGRANTS  —  HIS  INFLUENCE  ON   UIS  PARTY  —  HIS  CHARACTER, 

113 

CHAPTER    XVII. 

SPREAD  OF  CATHOLICISM  —  ORGANIZATION  INTO  DIOCESES  —  WESTERN  BnSSIOKS  — 
SOUTHERN  MISSIONS  —  BISHOP  ENGLAND  —  CHARLESTOWN  CONVENT  BURNED, 
A.   D.    1884  —  THB  GREAT  CONTROVERSY, .      121 


CONTENTS. 


tn 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

AMiaaOAir  STMPATHT  FOR  IRELAKD — UNITED  IBISHMEIf  —  THB  OATHOLIO  KMANCI- 
PATION  MOVEMENT  —  IRISH    JOURNALS  —  AGITATION    FOR    "A    REPEAL    OF    THB 

union"  with    ENGLAND  —  INFLUENCE    OF     MR.    O'CONNELL THE    ATTEMPTED 

REYOLUnONART  MOVEMENT  OF  1848  —  SYMPATHY  WITH  ITS  PRINCIPLES,     .      131 

CHAPTER    XIX. 

THE  IRISH  FAMINES  OF  1846-7  AND  1848  —  AMERICAN  SYMPATHY  —  MEETINGS  IN 
PHILADELPHIA,  ROSTON  AND  NEW  YORK  —  NATIONAL  MEETING  IN  WASUINGTOIT 
—  THE  MACEDONIAN  AND  JAMESTOWN  —  REFLECTIONS, 136 


CHAPTER  XX. 


*<  NATIVE  ABIERIOAN  "  MOVEMENT  OF  1844  —  THE  PHILADELPHIA  RIOTS  —  THEIK 
PROBABLE  ORIGIN  —  CONDUCT  OF  THE  MILITARY  AND  MAGISTRATES  —  SIMILAR 
MOVEMENTS  IN  NEW  YORE,  BOSTON,  AND  OTHER  TOWNS  —  RE-ACTION  —  RE- 
FLECTIONS ON   THE  PRINCIPLES  INVOLVED  IN  THIS  CONTROVERSY,    .      .      .      142 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

SOUTH  AMERICAN  REVOLUTIONS  —  COOPERATION  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES — IRISH 
STAFF  OF  SIMON  BOLIVAR  —  THE  O'HIGGINSES  —  MACKENNA  —  O'CONNOR  — 
O'CARBOLL  —  CAPTAIN  ESMONDE  —  O'REILLY  —  THE  O^'BRIENS  —  ISSUE  OF  THB 
SOUTH   AMERICAN  S'i''RUGQIiE, 148 

CHAPTER    XXII. 

THE  IRISH  IN  MEXICO  —  SAN  PATRICIO  COUNTY— MACQEE'S  INCURSION  —  ANNEXA- 
TION OF  TEXAS  —  WAR  WITH  "MEXICO  —  TAYLOR'S  CAMPAIGNS  —  MAJOR  GENERAL 
BUTLER  —  COLONEL  O'BRIEN  —  COLONEL  MAGKEE  —  MAJOR  GORMAN,      .      .      157 

CHAPTER    XXIII. 

SCOTT'S  CAMPAIGNS  —  COLONEL  RILEY  —  BRILLIANT  CHARGE  OP  KEARNEY  AND 
MACBEYNOLD'S  DRAGOONS — RRIOADIER  GENERAL  SHIELDS  —  HIS  RECEPTION  ON 
RETURNING  TO  THE  UNITED  STATES — SENATOR  FOR  ILLINOIS,      ....      162 

CHAPTER    XXIV. 

THE  CENSUS  OF  1850  —  IRISH  CONTINGENT  TO  THE  POPULATION  OF  THE  UNION  — 
CHARACTER  OF  FORMER  IRISH  EMIGRATIONS  —  THE  POLITICAL  REFUGEES  OF  1848 
—  FATHER  MATIIEW'S  VISIT  —  MILITARY  COMPANIES  —  POSITION  AND  REQUIRE- 
MENTS  or  THE   IRISH    IN   AMERICA,  A.   D.   1861, 171 


if/ 


INDEX. 


Pure 

Allison,  nr 81 

Adrian,  Prore»or, 83 

Barry,  Commodore f>3 

Byrne,  Professor 1~6 

Berkely,  Bishop 37 

Blakely,  Captain 99 

BlennerhaxseM.  H 9Ct 

Biiiiis,  Brothers, 95 

Boyle,  Ciiptttin 98 

Braniian,  Saint, 2() 

Breckenriilee 26 

Brynn.  Governor, 71 

fiinler  Family 28 

Butler,  Major  General, 168 

Burke,  Mr., 87 

Calhoun,  Hon.  J.  C 97 

Carey,  Matthew 8.5 

Cariiill,  Hugh 35 

Curmll.  Hon.  Charles,  (Signer) 6S 

Carroll,  Hon.  Paniel, 70 

Carroll,  Archttishop 75 

Carroll,  Major  General, 109 

Clinion,  Gtiouel  Charles, 25 

Clinton,  the  Brothers, 47 

Ci>lle.s.  Christopher, 82 

Conway.  General, 59 

ColTce,  General, 108 

Peverciix.  General, 148 

P.ihmty,  General 14S 

Duiilap,  Captain  John, 67 

Emmet.  T.  A 92 

Eiiqlaml,  Rishl  Rev,  Dr 122 

Edmonde,  Captain, 155 

FitTaimons,  Hon,  Thomas, 71 

Fitzserald, 32 

Fitzserald,  Colonel 60 

Fulton,  Robert 83 

Gallasrher,  Lieutenant, 102 

Gallagher,  Rev.  Dr. 122 

Gallagher,  R 145 

Gillespie,  Captain, 160 

Gorman,  Major, 160 

Hand,  Adj.  General, 48 

Hogan, 27 

Hogan,  General 60 

Irvine,  General 62 

Jackson,  Major  General 107 

"       President, 113 

Kavanagh,  Hon.  E 114 

Knox,  General  H., > 46 

Leavins.  Captain, .' 98 

Lewis,  General, 57 

Levins,  Rev.  Dr. 129 

Logan,  Jaines, 24 

I»gan,  Colonel  B. 27 

Lynch,  Doniinick 78 

Lynch,  Hon.  Thomas 68 

Lynch,  Hon.  Thomas,  Jr.,  (Signer),  ....  68 

Mason, 103 

McKenna,  Colonel, 1.50 

McAfee,  R 27 

McClary,  Colonel 47 

McClary,  Major 45 

McClary,  Capuin, 52 


McDowells IS 

McDonough,  James, 66 

McDonongh,  Commodore, 101 

McIUiffles, 26 

McGee,  (Texian  Chief), 157 

McGee.  Captain  James, 65 

McGruders 2l< 

McGrath,  Purser 108 

McGrady,  Major, 28 

McGinnes,  Captain, 41 

McKee,  Colonel 162 

McKean,  Hon.  Thimas,  (Signer), 68 

Mi-!V1ah<m,  Marquis 67 

McNevin,  Dr 91 

McReynolds,  Major 163 

Mease,  Matthew 166 

Montgomery,  Major  General, 50 

Moore,  Dr. 148 

Moore,  Governor 27 

Moore,  General 69 

Moylan,  General, 43 

Nixon,  Colonel  John, 67 

O'Brien,  General 154 

O'Brie!),  Captain, 160 

O'Brien,  Captain, 65 

0'('arroll,  Colonel 164 

O'Connor's,  Messrs,, 131 

O'Connor,  Colonel, 154 

O'Donoju,  Captain  General 163 

O'Flaherty,  Rev.  Dr 129 

O'Hiixslns,  Captain  General, 150 

O'Hig^ins.  General, 161 

O'Leary.  Colonel 148 

Oliver,  Robert, 80 

O'Neale,  John 104 

Orr,  Hon.  .Inhn, 71 

O'Roilly,  Ci.Mieral 156 

O'Reilly,  ll.;nry, 155 

Patten,  Hon.  M., 71 

Pepper.  G( -nge 132 

Pike,  Serg.'aiil 43 

Porter,  Hon.  Alexander, 114 

Ramsay.  Dr 81 

Read,  Hon.  G.,  (Signer), 67 

Reynolds,  Dr 88 

Roche  Fermoy,  General 67 

Riitledge,  Hon.  Eilward,  (Signer), 67 

Rutledge,  Hon.  John, 69 

Sampson,  William, 90 

SImw,  Connnodore, 100 

Shields,  General 163 

Smith,  James,  (Signer) 67 

Smilie,  Hon.  John 96 

Stewart,  Commodore, 102 

Stark,  John, 40 

Sullivan, 36 

Sullivan,  General, 43 

Sullivan,  Governor 71 

Sullivan,  Hon.  William, 72 

Taylor,  George,  (Signer), 67 

Thornton,  Mathew,  (Signer), 67 

Thompson,  General  William, 62 

Thompson,  Hon.  Charles 66 

Walsh,  W.J 132 

Wayne,  Major  General, 53 

Young,  Messrs., 37 


-:,f  •?■  ■ 


INTRODUCTION. 


:  EUROPE  AND  AMERICA. 

The  fifteenth  century  in  Spain  (the  point  from  which 
the  discovery  of  America  emanated)  was  marked  by  the 
cessation  of  the  Crusades,  by  treaties,  made  between  the 
Moors  and  Christians  of  Spain  and  France,  the  Porte  and 
Venice,  of  amity  and  commerce.  Asiatic  arts  and  lux- 
ury, Asiatic  idols,  and  Asiatic  valor,  had  made  deep  and 
sensible  impressions  upon  Christendom.  The  schools  of 
Cordova,  the  chivalry  of  Grenada,  the  galleys  of  Fez,  the 
grandeur  of  the  Soldan,  exercised  a  moral  despotism 
throughout  Europe.  What  Eussian  power  and  Russian 
pretensions  are  to  Europe  to-day,  the  Ottoman  empire 
was  to  the  Christian  Europe  of  Columbus'  youth. 

The  exact  sciences  were,  as  yet,  in  a  rude  and  chaotic 
state.  Astrology,  alchemy,  and  both  magics  had  profes- 
sors and  postulants.  Medicine  was  little  better  than 
herbal  traditions,  or  a  litany  of  incantations.  Amulets 
blest  by  conjurers  were  worn,  and  the  stars  believed  in  by 
I.  J  highest  intellects.  It  was  then,  —  when  star-gazers 
advised  kings  to  peace  or  war,  when  brazen  heads  were 
fabricated  by  Albertus  Magnus  and  Friar  Bacon,  when 
Aldrovandus  had  to  dissect  his  own  child,  fearing  to 
touch  another  human  body, — with  Fatalism  enthroned  in 


10 


INTRODUCTION. 


Asia,  and  Credulity  in  Europe,  —  it  was  then,  that  Co- 
lumbus turned  his  piercing  vision  towards  the  West. 

Domestic  slavery  existed  very  generally  through  Eu- 
rope. The  lords  of  the  soil  exacted  the  services,  lives, 
and  thv3  very  honor,  of  their  serfs.  The  serf  was  chained 
to  his  district  and  predestined  to  his  profession.  There 
was  no  freedom  of  will,  or  mind,  among  the  populace. 
A  few  trading  towns  had,  indeed,  wrung  chartered  priv- 
ileges from  their  oovereigns,  but  these  privileges  were 
confined  to  the  class  of  master  workmen,  who  held  in 
servitude  the  great  body  of  the  citizens  and  apprentices. 

Chivalry  had  lost  its  charm,  and  was  obsolete.  The 
age  of  Commerce,  which  was  felt  to  be  approaching,  was 
looked  for  exclusively  in  the  East ;  so  that,  even  in  the 
knowledge  of  its  own  wants,  Europe  was  in  error. 

Two  great  facts  of  this  century  precede  Columbus,  and 
only  two.  The  science  of  government  was  being  studied 
carefully  in  Italy,  France,  and  Spain,  and  the  science 
of  reasoning  in  the  great  colleges,  since  called  universi- 
ties. The  fall  of  Constantinople,  in  1453,  sent  the  learned 
of  the  East  for  refuge  into  Italy,  and  new  classic  schools 
began  to  assume  a  regular  existence  at  Rome  and  Flor- 
ence, Bologna  and  FeiTara. 

While  these  mental  possessions  were  beginning  to 
accumulate  in  Europe,  in  the  wisdom  of  Providence,  a 
New  World  was  about  to  become  a  sharer  in  their  diffu- 
sion. 

Let  us  be  just  to  the  Europcjui  thinkers  of  those  days. 
With  much  that  seems  absurd  in  the  "schoolmen,"  and 


^ 


INTRODUCTION. 


11 


much  that  was  ephemeral,  there  is  combined  the  vital 
principle  of  all  human  history,  —  Does  man,  under  God, 
suffice  for  himself  ?  Can  he  justify  his  own  intellect  ?  — 
can  he  self-govern  his  own  life  ?  —  this  was  their  great 
problem  through  all  their  studies.  Doubtless,  they  did 
not  know  whither  their  own  theories  ultimately  led ; 
doubtless,  they,  too,  attempted  to  set  limits  to  faith  and 
to  science  ;  but,  with  all  that  can  be  said  against  them, 
there  they  stand,  —  the  ferrymen  plying  between  ancient 
and  modem  civilization,  bringing  over  to  us  the  most 
precious  products  of  distant  times,  and  teaching  us  how 
to  start  in  our  new  career. 

The  long  and  painful  preparatory  eiforts  of  Columbus 
to  interest  the  old  world  in  his  project,  would  seem  almost 
to  be  permitted,  in  order  to  prove  the  inefficiency  of  the 
age  he  was  to  electrify  on  his  return  from  the  first  voy- 
age. 

He  besought  Genoa  and  Venice  for  a  ship  or  two,  to 
find  his  world,  and  they  refused  him  ;  he  petitioned  the 
wise  kings  of  Portugal  and  England,  and  they  refused  to 
risk  a  single  sail  in  such  a  quest ;  he  sojourned  long 
about  the  courts  of  France  and  Spain,  appealing  to  the 
wisdom  of  the  wise,  the  judgment  of  the  learned,  the 
wnbition  of  the  brave,  and  the  avarice  of  the  acquisitive ; 
Jut  he  argued,  appealed,  petitioned  in  vain !  No  one 
believed  in  his  theory,  or  hoped  in  his  adventure.  Nay, 
the  wise  smiled  scornfully,  the  learned  laughed  in  their 
academic  sleeves,  and  even  the  brave  had  no  stomach  for 


12 


INTRODUCTION. 


battling  the  tempest,  or  for  planting  their  banners  in  the 
wide  sea-field. 

Besides,  was  he  not  a  common  sailor  ?  He  had,  in- 
deed, commanded  some  merchant  ships,  and  had  an  uncle 
an  admiral.  His  name,  some  said,  was  noble  ;  but  of  this 
there  was  no  proof.  The  age  that  believed  in  the  Divine 
right  of  the  blood  royal,  and  the  sovereign  inheritance 
of  the  blood  noble,  could  not  conceive  of  a  mere  sailor 
achieving  a  conquest,  which  princes  and  grandees  could 
not  so  much  as  imagine,  after  all  his  arguments. 

Where,  then,  did  Columbus  and  his  theory  find  believ- 
ers ?  Who  were  his  first  converts  and  first  assistants  ? 
A  woman,  a  sailor,  and  a  monk,  are  the  three  by  whom 
the  curtain  of  the  Atlantic  is  raifM-^d,  and  America  pointed 
out  afar  ofi".  Before  the  dense  curtain  of  that  grandest 
scene  of  all  human  history,  they  stand,  —  the  woman, 
the  sailor,  and  the  monk.  Columbus  converted  the  prior 
of  La  Rabida,  the  prior  converted  the  queen  of  Castile, 
and  so  the  armament  did  sail,  after  all,  in  quest  of  the 
New  World  in  the  West. 

That  is  a  noble  group,  and  deserves  long  contempla- 
tion. The  woman  personifies  gentleness,  the  monk, 
faith,  the  sailor,  courage.  Faith,  gentleness,  and  cour- 
age are  thus  confederated  to  find  the  New  World,  and 
claim  it  for  their  own  ! 

Columbus  sailed,  and,  except  by  a  very  few,  was  soon 
forgotten.  The  prior  may  have  prayed  for  him  ;  the 
queen  may  have  sometimes  asked  news  of  him  ;  Paulo 
Toscauelli,  the  map-maker,  in  his  Florentine  study,  may 


INTRODUCTION, 


13 


"s  in  the 

had,  in- 
an  uncle 
it  of  this 
3  Divine 
leritance 
re  sailor 
es  could 

I  believ- 
istants  ? 
y  whom 
pointed 
jrandesfc 
woman, 
he  prior 
Castile, 
of  the 

cmpla- 

monk, 

I  cour- 

Id,  and 

IS  soon 
I ;  the 
Paulo 
^  may 


have  cast  his  eye  over  the  conjectural  track  of  the  two 
Spanish  carvels,  to  the  ideal  shore  of  Saint  Brendans, 
land ;  but  great,  gross  Europe  sleeps,  eats,  and  drinks, 
just  as  if  no  apostle  of  the  Future  was  laboring  through 
the  shoreless  ocean.  The  capture  of  Grenada,  with  its 
half  million  Moors,  no  doubt,  seemed  to  all  the  wise  heads 
of  Europe  incomparably  the  greatest  act  that  century 
could  see.  The  Genoese  sailor  and  his  New  World  are 
hidden,  for  the  time,  by  that  cloud  of  turbans,  with  its 
pale,  disastrous  crescent  still  visible,  though  eclipsed. 

What  a  month  that  must  have  been  in  Europe,  when 
Columbus  returned  with  his  plants  and  minerals,  and  his 
men,  red  and  naked  as  the  sun!  The  telegraph  of  rumor 
proclaimed  his  success  from  Lisbon  to  Madrid,  and  from 
Madrid  to  Rome,  Venice,  Antwerp,  Paris,  and  London. 
What  wild  tales  are  told  and  swallowed,  —  what  a  cry- 
ing curiosity  thrusts  out  its  ears  from  every  corner  of 
Europe,  —  what  sudden  new  light  breaks  in  on  the 
learned,  —  what  passion  for  ocean  adventure  seizes  on 
the  brave,  —  what  visions  of  mountains  of  gold  and  val- 
leys of  diamonds  drive  away  sleep  from  the  couches  of 
the  avaricious! 

In  this  age  of  inferior  **  excitements,"  we  can  hardly 
imagine  what  Europe  felt  in  that  day;  though,  if  the 
"sensation"  can  be  imagined  anywhere,  'tis  here.  It 
must  have  been  something  incomparably  more  intense 
than  the  '*  California  fever."  "  A  New  World  found  ! '' 
was  the  trumpet-blast  which  rung  from  end  to  end  of  Eu- 
rope.   Europe,  that  yesterday  considered  the  fall  of  Gren- 


14 


INTRODUCTION. 


% 


ada  the  greatest  of  facts,  has  akeady  ahnost  forgotten 
Grenada !  Europe,  that  began  to  smile  at  the  crasade, 
grasps  again  the  banner  of  the  Cross,  to  plant  it,  not  on 
Saint  Sophias,  or  Mount  Calvary,  but  to  plant  it  on  the 
further  verge  of  the  ocean,  bordered  with  illimitable 
lands !  Europe,  in  the  hour  of  Columbus'  arrival,  attained 
her  majority,  began  to  act  and  think  for  herself,  and, 
ceasing  to  be  a  child,  to  cast  away  the  things  of  her  child- 
hood. 

On  the  authentication  and  details  of  the  discovery 
there  is  no  need  to  pause.  On  the  names  of  the  new 
chivalry  of  the  ocean  we  need  not  linger.  Cabot,  Car- 
tier,  Americus,  Verrazzini,  Hudson,  Raleigh,  Drake, 
Bulboa,  Cortez,  Pizarro,  —  America  knows  them  all. 
They  developed  the  idea  of  the  great  sailor.  They  found 
the  western  way  to  India.  They  demonstrated  the  rotun- 
dity of  the  earth.  They  are  the  true  experimental  phi- 
losophers, to  whom  Bacon,  Descartes,  Linnaeus,  and  Gas- 
sendi,  were  but  the  amanuenses.  They  will  be  forever 
honored  among  men,  —  the  graduates  of  the  universe !  — 
the  alumni  of  the  ocean  ! 

When  Columbus,  ill-requited  by  Spain,  and  weary  of 
life,  felt  his  end  approach,  he  desired,  as  his  last  request, 
that  it  might  be  engraven  on  his  tomb,  "  Here  lieth  Chris- 
topher Columbus^  who  gave  to  Castile  and  Arragon  a  New 
World."  K  this  was  meant  as  a  reproach  to  Ferdinand, 
it  was  a  magnificent  reproach.  If  it  was  meant  as  a  last- 
ing definition  of  his  own  act,  it  is  miserably  deficient. 
What  he  actually  did,  is,  indeed,  insignificant,  compared 


INTRODUCTION. 


15 


to  what  he  was  the  cause  of  being  done ;  but,  even  from 
his  death-bed,  that  clear-sighted  nicin  must  have  foreseen 
that  not  to  Fedinand  and  Isabella  was  his  New  World 
given ;  not  to  Spain,  nor  even  to  Europe ;  but  rather  that 
it  was  given  to  all  humanity,  for  the  remainder  of  time 
to  come. 

Three  hundred  years  and  more  have  passed  over  the 
grave  of  Columbus.  In  his  cathedral  tomb,  at  Havana, 
he  sleeps  within  the  circle  of  the  greatest  exploit  of  mod- 
ern men,  —  the  civilization  of  America,  —  which  he  most 
heroically  began.  All  the  races  of  Europe  have  contrib- 
uted workmen  to  the  work,  who,  amid  much  "  confusion 
of  tongues,"  are  rearing  it  heavenward,  day  by  day,  in 
hope  and  harmony,  and,  let  us  trust,  with  all  due  rever- 
ence and  humility  of  spirit. 

Columbus  has  been  justified ;  so  has  Spain.  The  shares 
of  France,  England,  Holland,  Sweden,  and  Germany,  in 
civilizing  America,  have  been  all  recorded,  in  the  works 
of  sympathetic  and  laborious  historians. 

And  now,  also,  Ireland  advances  her  claim  to  respect 
and  remembrance  as  a  contributor  to  this  world's  work. 
She  also  has  helped  to  reclaim  the  land  from  barrenness, 
and  to  liberate  it  from  oppression.  Her  sons  have  made 
many  a  clearing,  found  many  a  ford,  worked  out  many  a 
noble  plan,  fighting  stoutly  for  their  new  country,  on 
land  and  sea,  when  so  required.  Ireland,  which  has  fur- 
nished actors  to  every  great  act  of  civilization,  since 
Dathi  died  at  Sales,  following  in  the  track  of  Brennus 
and  Alaric,  was  also,  as  we  shall  see,  represented  here, 


INTRODUCTION. 


from  the  beginning,  by  able  and  useful  men.  It  is  of 
these  Irish  settlers  in  America,  this  book  is  written ;  and, 
■while  looking  over  its  brief  chapters,  I  cannot  suppress  a 
sigh,  that  much  greater  books  have  been  written  of  men 
who  did  not  deserve  the  honor  one  half  so  well. 

The  following  pages,  dear  reader,  were  filled  up  after 
many  interruptions  and  under  many  distractions  ;  there- 
fore, have  mercy  in  your  judgment  of  the  work.  I  ven- 
ture it  into  print  with  the  hope  that  the  whole  subject 
may  come,  ere  long,  under  the  hands  of  a  master,  who 
can  make  of  it  a  story  both  Europe  and  America  would 
love  to  listen  to. 

Boston,  Saint  Patrick's  Day,  1851. 


A  HISTORY 


OF   THE 


IRISH   SETTLERS  IN  NORTH  AMERICA. 


CHAPTER    I. 


THE    LEGEND    OF    "GREAT    IRELAND"    AND    OF   SAINT    BRANDAN  —  NOBWEGIAK 
ACCOUNT  —  IRISH  ACCOUNT  —  ITALIAN  AND  SPANISH  ACCOUNTS. 

It  is  uncertain  whether  Christopher  Columbus  was  the 
first  European  who  saw  America.  A  general  tradition  of 
its  existence  was  widely  received  before  his  birth,  and  we 
cannot  reject,  as  entirely  incredible,  the  repeated  allu- 
sions to  this  tradition,  contained  in  the  early  chronicles 
of  the  northern  nations  of  the  old  world.  To  the  Gen- 
oese belongs  the  glory  of  disenchanting  the  Ocean,  —  of 
bringing  two  hemispheres  into  contact  separated  from 
the  beginning,  —  of  leaving  a  land  of  refuge  accessible 
to  humanity,  and  of  opening  the  history  of  its  popula- 
tion, by  one  of  the  most  glorious  examples  of  patience, 
fortitude,  and  courage,  ever  exhibited  by  man.  Who 
could  wish  his  glory  greater  or  less  ? 

The  Scandinavians  count  three  several  precursors  of 
Columbus — Ari  Marson,  whose  voyage  took  place  in 
983  ;  Biorn,  a  later  adventurer,  and  Gudlief,  son  of 
Gudlang,  who,  towards  the  middle  of  the  11th  century, 
followed  the  track  of,  and  conversed  with,  Biorn,  in  Hui- 
tramannaland,  or  Irland  it  Mikla,  beyond  the  Atlantic. 
The  account  of  Ari  in  the  Landnamabock  is  short,  but 
perfectly  intelligible.     It  says  :  — 

*'  Ulf  the  Squinter,  son  of  Ilogni  the  White,  occupied 
the  whole  of  Reykianess,  (south-west  promontory  of  Ice- 
2* 


18 


A  mSTORT  OF  THE 


f 


.i!  s 


H      \ 


land,)  between  Thorskafiord  and  Hafrafell.  He  had  a 
wife  named  Biorg,  the  daughter  of  Eyyind  the  East- 
countr)rman.  They  had  a  son  named  Atili  the  Red,  who 
married  Thorkotu,  daughter  of  Hergil.  They  had  a  son 
named  Ari,  who  was  driven  by  a  tempest  to  Huitraman- 
naland,  (white  man's  land,)  which  some  call  Irland  it 
Mikla,  (Great  Ireland,)  which  lies  in  the  western  ocean, 
near  to  Vinland  the  Good^  west  from  Ireland ^'^ — -by  a 
number  of  days'  sail,  which  is  uncertain,  some  error  hav- 
ing crept  into  the  original  in  these  figures.  "  Ari  was 
not  permitted  to  depart,  but  was  baptized  there." 

Of  the  second  and  third  voyages,  the  same  Landna- 
mabock  (compiled  in  the  13th  century)  relates  :  — 

"  So  Rafn,  the  Limerick  merchant,  first  stated,  who 
lived  for  a  long  time  in  Limerick,  in  Ireland."  Rafn 
was  kinsman  to  Ari  Marson,  and  lived  at  the  beginning 
or  middle  of  the  eleventh  century.  "  So  also  Thorkel,  the 
son  of  Geller,  (grandson  of  Ari  Marson,)  says  that  certain 
Icelanders  stated,  who  heard  Thorfinn,  Jarl  of  the  Ork- 
neys,"—  also  kinsman  to  Ari  Marson,  and  born  1008, 
died  1064,  —  **  relate  that  Ari  had  been  seen  and  known 
in  Huitramannaland,  and  that,  although  not  suffered  to 
depart  thence,  he  waa  there  held  in  great  honor. 

**  Ari  had  a  wife  named  Thorgerd,  daughter  of  Alf 
of  Dolum.  Their  sons  were  Thorgils,  Gudlief,  and  II- 
lugi;  which  is  the  family  of  Reykianess."  Then  fol- 
lows a  passage  which  shows  that  Eirck  the  Red  was 
connected  with  the  family  of  this  Ari  Marson,  and  which 
it  may  not  be  amiss  to  repeat,  as  all  these  historical 
allusions  afford  corroboration  of  the  authenticity  of  dif- 
ferent narratives.  "  Jorund  was  the  son  of  Ulf  the 
Squinter.  He  married  Thobiorg  Knarrarbring.  They 
had  a  daughter,  Thjodhild,  whom  Eirck  the  Red  mar- 
ried. They  had  a  son,  Leif  the  Lucky,  of  Greenland." 
It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  the  writer  of  this  account 
was  Ari  the  Learned,  born  1067,  who  flourished  at  the 
end  of  the  eleventh  century,  and  who  therefore  lived 
within  a  century  after  Ari  Marson's  departure  from  Ire- 
land.    He  was  immediately  descended  from  Ari  Marson, 


/ 1 


imSH   SETTLERS  IN  NORTH  AMERICA. 


19 


and  would,  of  course,  be  anxious  and  careful  to  obtain 
the  most  accurate  accounts  of  his  ancestors.  It  is  to  be 
observed  the  situation  of  Huitramannaland  is  here  stated, 
**  In  the  western  ocean  near  Vinland,  and  west  of  Ire- 
land." It  points,  of  necessity,  to  that  portion  of  the 
country  now  known  as  the  midland  or  southern  States 
of  the  Union.* 

The  Irland  it  Mikla,  or  Great  Ireland,  is  frequently 
alluded  to  in  the  Northern  Sagas.  They  describe  the 
route  towards  it,  from  the  North  of  Europe,  thus  :  — 

"  To  the  South  of  habitable  Greenland  there  are  un- 
inhabited and  wild  tracts,  and  enormous  icebergs.  The 
country  of  the  Skrselings  lies  beyond  these  ;  Markland 
beyond  this,  and  Vinland  the  Good  beyond  the  last. 
Next  to  this,  and  something  beyond  it,  lies  Albania,  that 
is,  Huitramannaland,  whither,  formerly,  vessels  came  from 
Ireland.  There,  several  Irishmen  and  Icelanders  saw  and 
recognized  Ari,  the  son  of  Mar  and  Kotlu,  of  Reykia- 
ness,  concerning  whom  nothing  had  been  heard  for  a  long 
time,  and  who  had  been  made  their  chief  by  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  land." 

In  this  vague  sketch,  modem  antiquarians  have  labored 
hard,  and  not  unsuccessfully,  to  identify  the  country  of 
the  Skrselings  as  the  Esquimaux  coast,  Markland  as  Lab- 
rador, Vinland  as  New  England,  and  Huitramannaland 
as  the  country  "  further  southward,  beyond  the  Chesa- 
peake Bay.  "f 

"  The  SkrsBlinger,"  says  Humboldt,  "  related  to  the 
Northmen  settled  in  Vinland,  that  further  southward, 
beyond,  the  Chesapeake  Bay,  there  dwelt  '  white  men, 
who  clothed  themselves  in  long,  white  garments,  carried 
before  them  poles  to  which  clothes  were  attached,  and 
called  with  a  loud  voice.'  This  account  was  interpreted, 
by  the  Christian  Northmen,  to  indicate  processions  in 
which  banners  were  borne  accompanied  by  singing.  In 
the  oldest  Sagas,  the   historical  narrations  of  Thorfinn 

•Smith's  "Northmen  in  New  England."    Boston:    Hilliard  &  Grey, 
1839. 
t  Humboldt's  « '  Cosmos. ' ' 


20 


A  BISTORT  OF  THE 


Karlsefne,  and  the  Icelandic  Landnammabock,  these 
southern  coasts,  lying  between  Virginia  and  Florida,  are 
designated  under  the  name  of  the  Land  of  the  White 
Men.  They  are  expressly  called  Great  Ireland,  {Irland 
it  Mikla^)  and  it  is  maintained  that  they  were  peopled 
by  the  Irish.  According  to  testimonies  which  extend  to 
1064,  before  Lief  discovered  Vinland,  and  probably  about 
the  year  982,  Ari  Marson,  of  the  powerful  Icelandic  race 
of  TJlf  the  Squint-eyed,  was  driven  in  a  voyage  from 
Iceland  to  the  South,  by  storms,  on  the  coast  of  the  Land 
of  the  White  Men,  and  there  baptized  in  the  Christian 
faith  ;  and,  not  being  allowed  to  depart,  was  recognized 
by  men  from  the  Orkney  Islands  and  Iceland."  * 

The  volumes  in  which  these  corroborative  accounts  are 
recorded  were  compiled  in  the  North,  three  centuries  be- 
fore the  birth  of  Columbus,  and,  evidently,  represent  the 
then  prevailing  belief  in  a  "  Great  Ireland  "  beyond  the 
western  sea. 

The  Irish  Annals  themselves  make  special  mention  of 
the  same  ftxct.  They  credit  the  first  voyage  westward  to 
Saint  Brandan,  patron  of  Clonfert  and  Ardfert  on  the 
south-west  coast.  It  is  recorded  that  he  flourished  from 
the  year  A.  D.  550  till  the  beginning  of  the  following 
century,  and  that  his  voyages  in  search  of  the  promised 
land,  were  two  ;  after  which  he  returned  no  more.  The 
precise  point  of  departure,  —  "  the  foot  of  Brandon 
Mountain,"  now  Tralee  Bay,  —  is  stated;  his  sea  store 
consisted  of  live  swine,  his  companions  of  monks,  and 
his  first  voyage,  of  course,  abounded  in  adventures.  The 
dates  in  these  legends  are  well  fixed,  whatever  else  may 
be  dubious  ;  and  we  do  not  feel  at  liberty  to  reject  facts 
which  an  Usher  and  a  Humboldt  long  pondered  over,  and, 
at  last,  set  down  with  reverence,  f 

The  voyages  of  Saint  Brandan  were  received  traditions 
in  France,  the  Netherlands,  Spain,  and  Italy,  soon  after 
the  Northern  Chroniclers  had  written  their  memoranda 

*  Humboldt's  "  Cosmos,"  vol.  i. 

t  Usher's  Antiq.  of  British  Churches  ;    Usher's  Epistles  of  the  Irish 
Saints. 


IRISH   SETTLERS  IN   NORTH   AMERICA. 


21 


concerning  Irland  it  Mikla.  Old  metrical  romances,  in 
the  French  and  Dutch  languages,  give  a  world  of  details 
about  them,  —  some  credible,  and  some  absurd  enough.* 
But,  what  is  more  to  our  purpose.  Jacobus  Voraignius, 
Provincial  of  the  Dominicans  and  Bishop  of  Genoa,  (the 
native  city  of  Columbus,)  gave  St.  Brandan's  land  special 
prominence  in  the  13th  century,  in  his  "  Golden  Leg- 
end,"! and  the  Italian  geographers  set  it  down,  on  their 
conjectural  charts,  opposite  **  Europe  and  Africa,  from 
the  south  of  Ireland  to  the  end  of  Guinea."  In  the  map 
made  for  Columbus  previous  to  setting  out  on  his  first 
voyage,  by  Paulo  Toscannelli,  of  Florence,  the  custom- 
ary space  was  occupied  by  "  Saint  Borondon's,  or  Saint 
Brandan's  land." 

In  the  letters  of  Columbus  to  his  sovereigns,  it  is  nota- 
ble that  the  *'  singing  of  the  birds,"  and  "  the  greenness 
of  the  vegetation,"  so  much  dwelt  on  in  "the  Golden 
Legend,"  are  frequently  mentioned.  The  phrase  *'  Prom- 
ised Land"  also  occurs,  in  the  mystical  sense  in  which  it 
is  employed  by  Bishop  Jacobus. 

Even  after  the  voyage  of  Columbus,  so  strong  was  the 
belief  in  St.  Brandan's,  that  various  expeditions  were 
sent  to  explore  it,  as  appears  from  depositions  taken  be- 
fore the  Grand  Inquisitor  of  the  Canaries,  Pedro  Ortez 
de  Funez,  and  from  other  Portuguese  and  Spanish 
accounts.  The  last  of  these  voyages  was  undertaken  as 
late  as  1721,  by  "  Don  Gaspar  Dominguez,  a  man  of 
probity  and  talent.  As  this  was  an  expedition  of  solemn 
and  mysterious  import,  he  had  two  holy  friars  as  apostol- 
ical chaplains.  They  made  sail  from  the  island  of  Ten- 
eriffe,  toward  the  end  of  October,  leaving  the  populace 
in  an  indescribable  state  of  anxious  curiosity.  The  ship, 
however,  returned  from  its  cruise  as  unsuccessful  as  all 
its  predecessors.  "J 

*  See  Extracts  of  these  old  Poems  in  Longfellow's  Poets  and  Poetry  of 
Europe. 

+  Voraignus  died  A.  D.  1298. 

%  Nunez,  Conquist.  de  la  Gran  Canaria ;  Viera,  ITtst.  hi.  Can. ;  Irving's 
Life  of  Columbus,  vol.  i. 


22 


A  mSTORT   OF  THE  IRISH   SETTLERS,   ETC. 


I 


Although  these  reports  were  not  justified  by  the  facts, 
yet  it  would  be  unwise  to  confound  the  early  belief  with 
the  modern  illusion,  since  the  latter  did  not  and  could  not 
beget  the  former,  though  they  have  obscured  and  almost 
hidden  it  from  our  sight. 

There  is  quite  sufficient  reason  to  infer  that  the  an- 
cients believed  in  the  existence  of  a  Great  Ireland  in  the 
West,  before  Columbus'  discovery ;  and  assuredly,  if 
they  were  mistaken,  we  are  in  a  fair  way  to  see  the 
doubtful  vision  of  their  days  become  a  reality.  The 
dates  and  details  we  must  leave  to  the  antiquarians, 
while  we  endeavor  to  show  what  modem  emigration  has 
done  to  accomplish  the  legend  of  Irland  it  Mikla, 


II 


.?/ 


rr^- 


CIIAPTER    II. 


IHB  FIRST  IRISH  EMIGRANTS,  —  IN  BARBAD0E8  —  IN  PENNSYLVANIA — IN  NBW 
TORK  —  IN  MARYLAND — IN  VIRGINIA  —  IN  THE  CAB0LINA8 — IN  KENTUCKY  — 
ADVENTURE  OF  SIMON   BUTLER  IN   DELAWARE. 

The  half  century  after  the  voyage  of  Columbus  was 
spent  in  exploring  the  harbors,  rivers,  and  coasts  of  the 
**  New  World."  Colonization  followed, — the  Spanish 
nation  still  leading.  In  1565,  the  Spaniards  founded  St. 
Augustine,  in  Florida  ;  in  1562,  the  French  had  built  a 
Fort  in  Carolina,  and  in  1608,  they  founded  Quebec  ;  in 
1585,  Raleigh  settled  180  emigrants  at  Roanoke  ;  in 
1606,  Jamestown  was  begun  ;  in  1629,  Plymouth,  and  in 
1634,  Baltimore.  These  are  the  first  authentic  dates  of 
North  American  settlements. 

The  first  Irish  people  who  found  permanent  homes  in 
America,  were  certain  Catholic  patriots,  banished  by 
Oliver  Cromwell  to  Barbadoes,  in  1649.  After  the  fail- 
ure of  the  confederation  formed  in  that  year,  45,000 
Irishmen  were  transported  beyond  the  seas,  some  to 
France  and  Spain,  and  several  ship-loads  to  Barbadoes. 
In  this  island,  as  in  the  neighboring  Montserat,  the  Celtic 
language  was  commonly  spoken  in  the  last  century,  and, 
perhaps,  it  is  partly  attributable  to  this  early  Irish  colo- 
nization, that  Barbadoes  became  "  one  of  the  most  pop- 
ulous islands  in  the  world."  At  the  end  of  the  17th 
century,  it  was  reported  to  contain  20,000  white  inhab- 
itants, j 

During  the  last  quarter  of  the  17th  century  there 
does  not  appear  to  have  been  any  considerable  emigra- 
tion from  Ireland.  After  the  Restoration  of  Charles  II., 
in  1660,  the  influence  of  the  Duke  of  Ormund  procured 
letters  patent  suspending  the  Navigation  Laws,  so  as  to 
allow  Ireland  comparative  freedom  of  trade.  From  this, 
manufactures  flourished,  and  there  was  no  "  surplus  pop- 


24 


A  fflSTORY   OP  THE 


ulation"  left.  The  French  Refugees,  who  fled  from  the 
Revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes,  in  1685,  contributed 
their  manufacturing  skill  still  further  to  enrich  the  coun- 
try, which  certainly  enjoyed,  in  the  interval  from  the 
Restoration  to  the  Revolution,  unusual  prosperity. 

The  revolution  of  1688  marks  a  new  and  less  pros- 
perous era  for  the  Mother  Country.  William  and  Mary, 
in  the  first  year  of  their  reign,  were  called,  by  both 
Houses  of  Parliament,  to  discourage  the  manufactures 
of  Ireland  Avhich  competed  with  those  of  England,  which 
they  complacently  consented  to  do.  By  this  invidious 
policy,  according  to  Lord  Fitzwilliam,  "100,000  opera- 
tives" were  driven  out  of  Ireland.  "  Many  of  the  Prot- 
estants," says  an  historian  of  Irish  trade,  "  removed  into 
Germany,"  —  "  several  Papists  at  the  same  time  removed 
into  Spain."  Another  cotemporaneous  writer  speaks  of 
multitudes  having  gone  to  America  from  Ireland  "  in 
consequence  of  the  rack  rents  there."  A  cotemporary 
account  estimates  that  3000  males  left  Ulster  yearly  for 
the  colonies.*  And  we  hear,  at  intervals,  amid  the  con- 
fusion of  this  panic  flight,  the  stern  accents  of  Swift, 
upbraiding  the  people  with  their  submission,  and  reproach- 
ing the  aristocracy  with  their  suicidal  impolicy,  in  culti- 
vating cattle  and  banishing  men. 

In  the  Colony  of  Pennsylvania  one  of  the  earliest  set- 
tlements of  Irishmen  was  made.  In  1699,  James  Lo- 
gan, of  Lurgan,  and  others,  accompanied  William  Penn 
to  his  new  plantation,  and  were  most  hojirtily  welcomed. 
Logan  became  one  of  the  most  considerable  men  in  the 
colony,  which  he  governed  for  two  years  after  the  death 
of  Penn,  and  whose  capital  he  enriched  by  bequeathing 
to  it  the  most  considerable  li])rary  hitherto  opened  to  its 
inhabitants.  He  was,  for  that  age,  a  most  tolerant  man, 
—  even  more  so  than  his  Quaker  friend,  l*enn,  avIio  writes 
him  from  London,  in  1 708  :  "  There  is  a  complaint  against 
your  government,  that  you  suHcr  public  ]\la.ss  in  a  scan- 
dalous manner.     Pray  send  the  matter  of  fact,  for  ill  use 

*  Dobbs  on  "  Irish  Trade  :"  Dublin,  1729. 


IRISH   SETTLERS   IN   NORTH   AMERICA. 


25 


't 


ia  made  of  it  against  us  here."*  This  charge  reflects 
Jionor  now  where  it  shed  suspicion  then.  The  name  of 
Logan  is  honorably  identified  with  the  city  in  which  he 
exercised  his  beneficent  authority. 

Attracted  by  this  precedent,  others  followed  the  emi- 
grants of  1699,  chiefly  from  the  North  of  Ireland.  In 
the  interior  of  the  State  we  find  townships  called  Derry, 
Donegal,  Tyrone,  and  Coleraine,  so  early  as  1730.  The 
arrivals  at  the  port  of  Philadelphia,  for  the  year  ending 
December,  1729,  are  set  down  as  — 

English  and  Welsh,      ...     267 

Scotch, 43 

Palatines,  (Germans,)  .     .     .     343 
Irish, 5655t 

Or,  a  proportion  of  ten  Irish  emigrants  to  one  from 
all  other  nations  in  Europe.  And  this  coL^tant  influx, 
though  not  in  so  great  disproportion  to  other  arrivals, 
recurred  annually  at  the  same  port,  till  the  close  of  the 
century. 

In  1729,  several  families  from  Longford  took  shipping 
at  Dublin,  with  a  Captain  Rymer,  for  Pennsylvania.  He 
appears  to  have  been  one  of  those  brutal  mariners  still 
to  be  met  with  in  the  emigrant  trade.  Although  they 
made  the  coast  of  Virginia,  and  saAV  land  for  several  days, 
he  would  not  land  them,  until  he  had  extorted  an  extra 
payment,  and  his  officers  were  in  such  awe  of  him,  they 
dare  not  remonstrate.  At  length  he  landed  them  at  Cape 
Cod,  whence  some  of  them  moved  to  the  banks  of  the 
Hudson.  Of  these  was  Charles  Clinton,  who  had  then 
three  children  of  Irish  birth,  destined  to  become  historical 
men  in  the  annals  of  New  York.| 

The  Colony  of  Maryland,  founded  by  Roman  Catho- 
lics, held  out  special  attractions  to  the  first  emigrants  of 
that  denomination.  The  Irish  rising  of  1641,  it  is 
thought,  "  aflected  the  population  of  the   province. "§ 

*  Watson's  Annals  of  Philadelphia,  p.  290. 
Holmes'  Annals  of  America,  vol.  i. 
Iloozack's  Life  of  DeWitt  Clinton. 
Bozman's  Maryland,  vol.  i. 

3 


26 


A   HISTORY   OP  THE 


! 


The  Carrols  emigrated  to  the  colony  about  1689,  and 
were,  in  common  with  the  other  Catholic  settlers,  disfran- 
chised by  the  Protestant  Revolution  of  1688.  Thus, 
by  a  singular  reverse,  the  descendants  of  those  who  were 
the  first  to  proclaim  complete  freedom  of  conscience  in 
the  New  World,  were  for  near  a  hundred  years  deprived 
of  it  by  the  children  of  the  fugitives  to  whom  they  had 
first  afforded  the  protection  elsewhere  denied  them. 

The  Irish  population  in  Virginia  began  about  the  year 
1710,  and  chiefly  settled  along  the  Blue  Ridge,  in  what 
are  now  the  counties  of  Patrick  and  Rockbridge.  The 
McDowells,  Breckenridges,  McDuffies,  McGmders,  and 
others,  were  of  this  colony,  and  the  two  rivers  Mayo,  as 
well  as  the  localities  called  McGaheysville,  Healys,  Ken- 
nedys, ^IcFarlands,  Lynchburgh,  and  Kinsale,  are  evi- 
dently of  Irish  origin. 

In  1737,  a  considerable  Irish  colony  obtained  a  town- 
ship on  the  Santee  River,  in  South  Carolina,  in  the  dis- 
trict called,  from  its  Indian  proprietors,  the  Waxhaws. 
Williamsburg,  on  the  Black  River,  was  entirely  peopled 
by  our  race  in  1734,  as  was  Camden,  on  the  Wateree. 
*'  Of  all  other  countries,"  says  the  historian  of  that 
State,  "  none  has  furnished  the  province  with  so  many 
inhabitants  as  Ireland.  Scarce  a  ship  sailed  from  any  of 
its  ports  for  Charleston,  that  was  not  crowded  with  men, 
women,  and  children."  One  of  our  settlements  in  that 
colony  was  peculiarly  unfortunate.  "  The  Council  hav- 
ing announced,  in  England  and  Ireland,  that  the  land  of 
the  ejected  Yemassees  would  be  given  to  the  actual  set- 
tlers, five  hundred  persons  from  Ireland  transported  them- 
selves to  Suuth  Carolina,  to  take  the  benefit  of  it.  But 
the  whole  i)roject  was  frustrated  by  the  propi-iotors,  who 
claimed  those  lands  as  their  property,  and  insisted  on  the 
right  of  disposing  of  them  as  they  saw  lit.  Not  long 
allcrwards,  to  the  utter  ruin  of  the  Irish  emigrants,  and 
in  l)rea(']i  of  tlu!  jtrovincial  lailh,  tln'so  Indian  lands  were 
surveyed,  by  order  of  the  proprietors,  for  their  own  use, 
find  laid  out  in  large  baronies."  "  Many  of  the  unfor- 
tunate Irish  emigrants,"  adds  the   historian,  "  having 


IRISH    SETTLERS   IN   NORTH   AMERICA. 


27 


)89,  and 
,  disfran- 
Thus, 
vho  were 
liience  in 
deprived 
they  had 
em. 

the  year 
in  what 
re.  The 
lers,  and 
Mayo,  as 
[ys,  Ken- 
are  evi- 

1  a  town- 
the  dis- 
V^axhaws. 
i  peopled 
Wateree. 
L  of  that 
so  many 
>m  any  of 
vith  men, 
;s  in  that 
ncil  hav- 
e  land  of 
3tual  set- 
ted  them- 
it.  But 
tors,  who 
0(1  on  the 
Nut  long 
ants,  and 
inds  were 
own  use, 
le  unfor- 
*'  having 


spent  the  little  money  they  brought  with  them,  were 
reduced  to  misery  and  famished.  The  remainder  re- 
moved to  the  northern  colonies."*  Among  the  Irish 
settlers  in  the  Waxhaws,  we  notice  the  now  famous  names, 
Rutledgc,  Jackson,  and  Calhoun. 

After  the  Williamite  war,  in  Ireland,  several  emigrant 
Irish  families  arrived  in  North  Carolina,  and  settled  there. 
Of  these,  the  most  active  and  distinguished  was  Governor 
James  Moore,  who  headed  the  revolution  of  1705,  which 
converted  the  province  from  a  proprietary  to  a  popular 
government,  elective  from  the  people.  He  held  out 
against  all  the  force  and  power  of  the  proprietors,  and 
was  the  first  people's  Governor  of  Carolina.  He  trans- 
mitted his  spirit  and  his  influence  to  a  succession  of 
eminent  descendants.  He  claimed  relationship  to  the 
Drogheda  family  of  the  same  name,  and  probably  was 
a  native  of  that  vicinity. 

In  1746,  the  settlement  of  Kentucky  was  commenced 
under  the  intrepid  Daniel  Boone,  by  whose  side, 
also,  we  find  Irishmen.  The  historian  of  Kentucky 
observes,  "  for  enterprise  and  daring  courage  none  tran- 
scended Major  Hugh  McGrady.f  A  Ilarland,  a  Mac- 
Bride,  and  a  Chaplain,  deserve  also  to  be  mentioned." 
The  second  Kentucky  settlement  was  formed,  in  1773, 
by  James  and  Robert  McAfee,  and  the  third,  in  1775,  by 
Benjamin  Logan,  an  Irish  Pennsylvanian.  Simon  Butler, 
McLellan,  and  Hogan,  all  Irishmen,  were  also  pioneers 
of  Kentucky,  and  among  the  first  to  explore  the  country 
beyond  the  ()hio.|  The  same  hardy  race  of  backwoods- 
men also  sent  out  the  first  successful  pioneers  of  popula- 

*  Rams;iy's  Sontli  r'avoliiia. 

f  III  Ireland  tliero  was  a  rainous  family  ol'  this  name,  near  INIayo,  whose 
decay  an  Irish  bard  of  the  Jacobite  era  pathetically  laments  ;  — 

"  T  is  iny  i^riof  tliiil  Patrick  Lougldin  is  not 
Karl  III  En-\s  still  ; 
'riiai  Hriini  Dull  no  Ioniser  rules  as 

[.iM'd  ll|)(lll  tlio  Hill  ; 
Tliiil  i'lioiifl  Uitir/i  .l/cf»ra(/i/ should 

He  lyiiiLj  slurk  mid  low,  — 
And  I  siiiliiiir,  sailing  swiftly 
From  the  County  of  Mayo." 

'McCarthfa  "  Book  of  Irish  BallaUa." 
J  Marshall's  Hist,  of  Kontucky,  fhap.  iii.  vol.  i. 


^: 


28 


A   HISTORY   OF   THE 


tion  on  the  greater  current  of  the  Mississippi,  to  mark 
along  its  banks  the  sites  of  future  settlements.  As  a  spec- 
imen of  what  the  Irish  pioneer  then  endured,  we  give  the 
following  stirring  episode  in  the  early  history  of  Ken- 
tucky :  — 

"  Simon  Kenton,  alias  Butler,  who  has  been  hereto- 
fore noticed,  now  claims  further  attention,  as  connected 
with  the  occurrences  of  this  year.  His  active  and  enter- 
prising spirit  had  induced  him  to  join  Colonel  George 
Rogers  Clark,  and  he  was  with  him  at  the  capture  of  Kas- 
kaskias.  After  the  fall  of  that  place,  Butler,  with  others, 
was  sent  to  Kentucky  with  despatches.  On  their  way 
they  feU  in  with  a  camp  of  Indians  with  horses.  They 
broke  up  the  camp,  took  the  horses,  sent  them  back  to 
Kaskaskias,  and  pursued  their  route  by  post  to  St.  Vin- 
cennes.  Entering  that  place  by  night,  they  traversed 
several  streets,  and  departed  without  discovery,  or  alarm, 
after  taking  from  the  inhabitants,  who  were  hostile,  two 
horses  for  each  man.  When  they  came  to  White  River, 
a  raft  was  made  on  which  to  transport  the  guns  and  bag- 
gage, while  the  horses  were  driven  in  to  swim  across  the 
river.  On  the  opposite  shore  there  lay  a  camp  of  In- 
dians, who  caught  the  horses  as  they  rose  the  bank. 

"  Butler  and  his  party,  now  finding  themselves  in  the 
utmost  danger,  permitted  the  raft  to  float  down  the 
stream,  and  concealed  themselves  till  night ;  when  they 
made  another  raft,  at  a  diirercnt  place,  on  which  they 
crossed  the  river,  returned  safe  to  Kentucky,  and  deliv- 
ered the  letters,  as  they  had  been  directed.  Some  of 
them  were  intended  for  the  scat  of  government. 

"  This  part  of  his  duty  being  discharged,  Butler  made  a 
tour  to  the  northern  part  of  the  country,  and  in  the  same 
year  was  made  i)risoner  by  tlio  Indians.  They  soon  after 
painted  him  black,  and  inlbrnied  him  that  at  Chillicothe, 
where  they  were  going,  ho  should  be  burned,  l^or  were 
they  willing  to  permit  him  to  pass  the  interim  without 
adding  to  his  mental  pains  those  of  the  body.  Not  more 
to  torture  him  than  to  amuse  themselves,  they  mounted 
him  on  an  unbroke  and  unbridled  horse  ;  tied  his  hands 


IRISH    SETTLERS   IN    NORTH   AMERICA. 


29 


behind  his  body,  and  his  feet  under  the  animal ;  and  then 
let  him  loose  to  run  through  the  bushes. 

"  This  he  did,  capering  and  prancing  through  the  worst 
thickets,  thereby  to  discharge  his  load,  but  in  vain. 
There  is  no  means  of  checking  the  horse,  or  of  guarding 
the  body,  or  face,  or  eyes,  from  the  brush.  This  rends 
the  clothes,  and  almost  tears  the  flesh  from  the  bones,  — 
to  the  very  great  amusement  of  the  savages,  and  to  the 
equal  danger  of  the  rider's  life. 

"  The  horse  at  length  worries  himself,  becomes  gentle, 
and  rejoins  the  cavalcade,  which  now  approaches  within 
a  mile  of  Chillicothe.  The  Indians  halt,  dismount  their 
prisoner,  and  prepare  the  stake.  At  this  they  kept  him 
tied  and  standing  for  nearly  twenty-four  hours,  with 
what  sensations,  can  better  be  iuiagined  than  expressed. 
From  the  stake,  however,  he  was  not  released  by  fire, 
but  taken  by  the  Indians  to  run  the  gauntlet.  At  this 
place  there  were  assembled  five  or  six  hundred  Indians, 
of  all  ages,  sexes,  and  conditions.  These  were  armed 
with  switches,  sticks,  and  every  kind  of  hand-weapon 
known  to  savages,  and  formed  into  rows,  reaching  to  the 
council-house,  distant  nearly  one  mile.  Butler  was  now 
told  that  he  was  to  run  between  those  files  to  the  drum, 
which  was  beaten  at  the  council-house  door  ;  and  that, 
if  he  could  get  into  the  council-house,  he  should  be 
cleared,  but  that  he  was  to  expect  a  blow  from  each 
Indian  as  he  passed.  Next,  he  was  placed  between 
these  ranks,  and  put  into  motion,  by  an  order  and  a 
blow.  In  a  little  time  he  broke  through  one  of  the  files, 
before  he  received  many  blows,  and  continued  running 
for  the  council-house  door,  which  he  had  nearly  gained, 
when  he  was  knocked  down  by  a  warrior  with  a  club. 
Here  he  was  severely  beaten,  and  again  taken  into  cus- 
tody. 

"  In  this  distressed  and  miserable  condition,  when  life 
had  become  burthensome,  and  death  would  have  been 
relief,  was  he  marched  from  town  to  town,  often  threat- 
ened to  be  burned  at  the  stake,  and  frequently  compelled 
to  run  the  gauntlet. 

3" 


30 


A  HISTORY   OF  THE 


(( 


On  one  of  these  occasions  he  broke  the  rank,  deter- 
mined, at  the  risk  of  his  life,  to  make  his  escape  ;  and 
had  actually  gained  a  considerable  advantage  of  his  foot 
pursuers,  when  he  was  met  by  some  Indians  coming  to 
town  on  horseback,  and  compelled  to  surrender. 

*'  At  thirteen  towns  he  ran  the  gauntlet,  and  was  cer- 
tainly to  have  been  burned  at  the  Lower  Sandusky  ;  but 
an  accident  suspends  his  progress,  and  seems  to  change 
his  destiny. 

"At  the  Upper  Sandusky  resided  Simon  Girty,  who 
had  just  returned  from  an  unsuccessful  expedition  against 
the  frontiers  of  Pennsylvania,  and  in  very  bad  humor. 
Hearing  that  there  was  a  white  prisoner  in  town,  he 
sought  him,  fell  upon  him,  threw  him  on  the  ground,  and, 
to  color  his  violence,  accused  him  of  stealing  the  Indians* 
horses.  Butler,  recognizing  Girty,  made  himself  known. 
They  had  been  comrades  and  friends.  Girty  is  aston- 
ished to  find  him  in  such  a  situation  ;  relents,  raises  him 
from  the  ground,  offers  him  his  hand,  promises  to  save 
him  from  further  injury,  and  to  obtain  his  release  from 
captivity. 

"  The  horrors  of  his  mind  now  yielded  to  the  cheering 
prospects  of  hope  and  better  fortune,  and  the  little  life 
which  yet  languished  in  his  bruised  and  emaciated  body 
became  an  object  of  his  solicitude. 

"A  council  was  called,  the  case  stated,  and  Girty's 
influence  obtained  a  decree  of  liberation  in  his  favor. 
Girty  now  took  him  to  his  house,  bestowed  on  him  the 
rites  of  hospitality,  washed  his  wounds,  and  dressed  him 
in  a  new  suit  of  clothes. 

"  For  five  days  he  was  at  liberty,  and  felt  himself 
recovering  both  strength  and  spirits.  But  such  is  the 
instability  of  a  disorganized  democracy,  and  the  spirit 
of  ferocity  in  uncivilized  man,  that  the  chiefs  of  .^i-.eral 
neighboring  towns,  hearing  tliat  the  white  prisoner  was 
set  free,  now  became  dissatisfied,  and,  repairing  to  San- 
dusky, demanded  another  council.  This  was  accordingly 
held,  and  the  former  decree  in  favor  of  Butler,  notwith- 
standing all  Girty's  exertions,  promptly  reversed.     He  is 


lEISH   SETTLERS   IN  NORTH   AMERICA. 


n 


to 


once  more  reduced  to  the  condition  of  a  prisoner,  and  his 
former  sentence  of  death  renewed  against  him.  Girty 
was  now  compelled  to  give  him  up,  and  he  was  marched 
away  to  Lower  Sandusky,  to  be  burned.  At  this  place 
he  met  with  Peter  Drewyear,  Indian  Agent  from  Detroit. 
Drewyear,  from  motives  of  humanity,  interceded  with 
the  council,  and  obtained  permission  to  take  Butler  with 
him  on  his  return  home.  At  Detroit,  he  was  given  up 
to  the  British  governor,  and  paroled,  with  orders  to  ap- 
pear at  nine  o'clock,  each  day,  when  the  drum  beat  for 
parade. 

"  This  partial  freedom  was  solaced  with  joy  by  meet- 
ing Avith  Jesse  Coffer,  Nathaniel  Bullock,  and  others, 
from  Kentucky,  who  had  been  taken  prisoners  by  the 
Indians,  and  found  safety  for  their  lives  at  a  British  gar- 
rison. 

"  In  some  short  time,  Butler  and  the  men  just  named 
found  means  of  escape,  and,  in  1779,  returned  to  Ken- 
tucky, after  a  march  of  thirty  days  through  the  woods."* 

Romance  has  nothing  equal  to  this  simple  story.  It 
wants  nothing  of  the  grandeur  of  *'  Mazeppa,"  but  the 
Polish  fore -ground,  which  encloses  so  well  that  kindred 
legend  of  the  wilderness. 

The  State  of  Delaware,  originally  disputed  between 
certain  Connecticut  settlers  and  Pennsylvania,  became, 
shortly  before  the  Revolution,  the  home  of  several  Irish 
families.  In  the  contests  of  the  two  parties  of  settlers. 
Colonel  Plunkett,  an  Irishmrn,  commanded  what  is 
called  "  the  Pennyite"  force,  and  Colonel  Zebulon  But- 
ler "  the  Yankees."  Among  those  who  fell  in  this  con- 
test, special  mention  is  made  of  '*  Thomas  Neill,  an 
Irishman  of  middle  age,  and  the  mo3t  learned  man  in 
the  valley."  He  joined  the  Yankees  because,  as  he  said, 
*' they  wore  the  weakest  side."  Ilis  captain,  McKar- 
rachan,  killed  in  the  Wyoming  massacre,  was  also  an 
Irishman,  lie  emigrated  from  Belfast,  in  1764,  and  was 
a  magistrate  of  Westmoreland  County,  before  the  war. 


''\ 


MarshaH's  Kentucky,  vol.  i. 


32 


BISTORT   OF  THE  IRISH   S£TTI<ERS,  ETC. 


It  was  a  strange  chance,  in  that  memorahle  massacre, 
that  the  British  commander  was  Colonel  John  Butler,  a 
remote  relative  of  the  American  defender,  Colonel  Zeb- 
ulon  Butler.  If  the  Indian  slaughter  at  that  siege  has 
aspersed  with  blood  the  name  of  the  one,  it  has  covered 
with  glory  that  of  the  other.* 

This  family  of  Butler,  destined  to  give  so  many  dis- 
tinguished names  to  America,  originated  in  Kilkenny. 
The  founder  of  the  Pennsylvania  house  of  that  name 
emigrated  as  Agent  for  Indian  Affairs,  towards  the  close 
of  the  17th  century.  Attracted,  probably,  by  his  exam- 
ple or  advice,  other  cadets  of  the  Ormond  stock  had  set- 
tled in  Carolina  and  Kentucky,  from  whom  many  gener- 
als and  senators  have  been  furnished  to  the  Union.f 

*The  historian  of  Wyoming  tells  a  pleasant  anecdote  of  an  Irish  settler, 
—  "  an  old  man  named  Filzjerald.  The  Indians  and  their  allies  placed  hinti 
on  a  flax-brake,  and  told  hiiu  he  must  renounce  his  rebel  principles  and  de- 
clare for  the  king,  or  die.  '  Well,'  said  the  stout-hearted  old  fellow,  '  I 
am  old,  and  have  little  time  to  live  any  how,  and  I  had  rather  die  now  a 
friend  of  my  country,  than  live  ever  so  long,  and  die  a  Tory.'  They  had 
magnanimity  enough  to  let  him  go."  —  Miner^s  Hist,  of  Wyoming,  p.  200. 

f  The  present  General  William  0.  Butler,  of  Kentucky,  and  Pierce  But- 
ler, Senator  for  South  Carolina,  are  of  this  family. 


k: 


CHAPTER    III. 


THE    ntiaH      IN     MASSACHUSETTS  —  IN     NEW     HAMPSHIKB  —  IN     MAINE  —  BISHOP 
BEBKELY   IN   RHODE  ISLAND  —  HIS   GIFT  TO   YALE  COLLEGE. 

In  the  Colony  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  prejudices  against 
natives  of  Ireland  existed  from  the  beginning.  At  a 
meeting  held  in  1725,  at  Haverhill,  for  settling  the  town 
of  Concord,  it  was  resolved,  "  That  no  alienation  of  any 
lot  should  be  made  without  the  consent  of  the  commu- 
nity." "  The  object  of  this  regulation,"  says  Mr. 
Moore,  *'  undoubtedly  was  to  exclude  Irish  settlers, 
against  whom  a  strong  national  prejudice  existed,  height- 
ened, perhaps,  by  zeal  in  differing  religious  opinions."* 
And  these  were  not  individual  prejudices,  for  the  Gen- 
eral Court  of  the  colony,  claiming  jurisdiction  over  the 
neighboring  territory,  resolved,  in  1720  :  — "  Whereas, 
it  appears  that  certain  families  recently  arrived  from  Ire- 
land, and  others  from  this  province,  have  presumed  to 
make  a  settlement,"  &c.,  &c., —  '*  that  the  said  people 
be  warned  to  move  off  within  the  space  of  seven  months, 
and  if  they  fail  to  do  so,  that  they  be  prosecuted  by  the 
attorney  general,  by  writs  of  trespass  and  ejectment." 
The  Irish  settlers  would  not  be  moved  off,  and  it  does 
not  appear  that  the  attorney  general  ever  tried  his  writs 
upon  them. 

In  the  capital  of  New  England,  (as  the  eastern  colo- 
nies began  to  be  called,)  some  Irish  settlers  had  early 
homes.  In  1737,  forty  *'  gentlemen  of  the  Irish  na- 
tion," residing  at  Boston,  adopted  the  following  pro- 
grannuo  of  association  :  — 

"  Whereas,  several  gentlemen,  merchants,  and  others, 
of  the  Irish  nation,  residing  in  Boston,  in  New  England, 

♦Jacob  B.  Moore's  Sketch  of  Concord,  N.  H.,Hist.  Collections  of  N.  H., 
p.  155. 


34 


A  HISTORt   OP   THE 


from  an  affectionate  and  compassionate  concern  for  their 
countrymen  in  these  parts,  who  may  be  reduced  by  sick- 
ness, shipwreck,  old  age,  and  other  infirmities  and  unfore- 
seen accidents,  have  thought  fit  to  form  themselves  into 
a  Charitable  Society,  for  the  relief  of  such  of  their  poor, 
indigent  countrymen,  without  any  design  of  not  contrib- 
uting towards  the  provision  of  the  town  poor  in  general, 
as  usual." 

The  names  of  the  twenty-six  original  members  of  this 
Society  are  as  follows  :  — 

*'  Robert  Duncan,  Andrew  Knox,  Nathaniel  "Walsh, 
Joseph  St.  Lawrence,  Daniel  McFall,  William  Dmm- 
mond,  William  Freeland,  Daniel  Gibbs,  John  Noble, 
Adam  Boyd,  William  Stewart,  Daniel  Neal,  James 
Maynes,  Samuel  Moor,  Phillip  Mortimer,  James  Eirart, 
George  Glen,  Peter  Pelham,  John  Little,  Archibald 
Thomas,  Edward  Alderchurch,  James  Clark,  John  Clark, 
Thomas  Bennett,  and  Patrick  Walker." 

In  1737,  WiUiam  HaU  was  President ;  in  1740,  Rob- 
ert Achmuty  ;  in  1743,  Neil  Mclntire  ;  in  1757,  Sam- 
uel Elliot;  in  1784,  Moses  Black;  in  1791,  Thomas 
English;  in  same  year,  General  Simon  Liliot,  Jr.,  was 
elected  ;  in  1797,  Andrew  Dunlap  ;  and  in  1810,  Cap- 
tain James  Me  Gee. 

^  At  the  period  of  the  foundation  of  the  Charitable  So- 
ciety, the  Irish  in  Boston  were  chiefly  Protestants,  and 
the  8th  Article  of  the  Constitution  declared  that  none 
but  Protestants  were  eligible  to  its  offices  or  committees. 
The  most  absurd  ideas  of  Irish  inferiority  prevailed.  In 
1752,  an  Irish  servant  was  openly  *'  sold  for  four  years." 
Catholics,  however,  were  **  tolerated,"  and,  at  the  pe- 
riod of  the  Revolution,  there  were  several  Catholic  fam- 
ilies in  Boston,  after  which  they  rapidly  increased.* 
In  1636,  the  Eagle  Wing,  with  140  passengers,  sailed 

•The  following  letter  from  Concord,  Mass.,  furnishes  some  interesting 
particulars  about  a  good  man,  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  that  town  :  — 

"  With  some  difficulty,  I  found  the  last  resting-place  of  our  countryman, 
Hugh  Cargill.  It  is  from  the  grave  I  write.  It  is  marked  by  a  plain 
slab,  surmounted  by  an  urn  in  relievo,  on  which  is  inscribed  the  initials  of 


IRISH   SETTLERS   IN   NORTH   AMERICA. 


35 


from  Carrickfergus  to  found  a  colony  on  the  Merri- 
mack. This  vessel  having  put  back  by  stress  of  weath- 
er, the  project  was,  for  many  years,  abandoned.  To- 
wards the  end  of  the  17th  century,  it  was  again  revived, 
and  *'  the  Londonderry  settlement'*  was  formed  in  the 
spring  of  1719.  It  began  with  but  sixteen  families, 
who  gave  the  name  of  their  native  home  to  their  new 
abode.  They  were  all  Presbyterians  in  religion,  and  of 
that  Celtic  stock,  first  planted  in  Scotland  from  Ireland, 
then  re-naturalized  in  the  parent  land,  previous  to  its 
deportation  to  the  sterner,  but  more  independent,  soil  of 
New  England.  Few  settlements  were  more  prosperous, 
or  productive  of  great  men,  than  this.  "  In  process  of 
time,"  says  Barstow,  "  the  descendants  of  the  London- 
derry settlers  spread  over  Windham,  Chester,  Litchfield, 
Manchester,  Bedford,  Goffstown,  New  Boston,  Antrim, 


the  deceased.     The  inscription  is  nearly  defaced,  Jbut,  after  hard  rubbing,  I 
made  out  the  following  : 

'  Here  lies  interred  the  remains  of  Hugh  Caugill,  late  of  Boston,  who  died  in 
Concord,  January  12,  1799,  in  the  60th  year  of  his  age.  Mr.  Car^ill  was  born  ia 
Bailysliannoii,  in  Ireland  ;  came  to  this  country  in  the  year  1774,  destitute  of  the  conj- 
forls  of  life ;  but,  hy  his  industry  and  good  economy,  he  acquired  a  good  estate; 
(demised  7)  to  his  wife,  llcliecca  dargill ;  likewise,  a  large  and  generous  donation  to 
the  town  of  Concord,  for  benevolent  purposes.' 

"  Further  down  on  the  stone  are  the  following  lines : 

'  How  strange,  O  God  that  reigns  on  high, 
That  I  should  come  so  far  to  die  ! 
And  leave  my  friends  where  I  was  bred, 
To  lay  my  bones  with  strangers  dead ! 
But  I  have  hopes,  when  I  arise, 
To  dwell  with  them  in  yonder  skies.' 

"  I  find,  in  the  statistics  of  the  town,  the  following  additional  facts : 

'  Mr.  Hugh  Cargill  bequeathed  to  the  town  the  Stratton  Farm,  so  called, 
which  was  valued,  in  1800,  at  $1300,  to  be  improved  as  a  poor-house  ;  and 
the  same  to  be  improved  by  and  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor,  and  to  be  under 
the  special  direction  of  the  town  of  Concord  for  the  time  being,  and  for  the 
purpose  aforesaid,  forever. 

'  This  farm  is  now  the  pauper  establishment.  He  also  gave  several  other 
parcels  of  real  estate,  valued  at  $3720,  the  income  of  which  is  solely  to  be 
applied  for  tiie  benefit  of  the  poor.'  —  Hist,  of  the  Town  of  Concord. 

"It  is  also  said  he  gave  the  ground  to  build  the  Orthodox  meeting-house, 
but  I  could  not  find  for  certain  if  this  is  so. 

"  He  was  present  on  the  memorable  19th  of  April,  1775,  at  the  first  battle 
for  American  liberty,  and  rendered  good  service,  together  with  one  Bullock, 
in  saving  the  town  records  from  the  ravages  of  the  brutal  soldiery. 

"  There  was  auollier  eminent  Irishman,  about  the  same  time,  in  Acton. 
If  1  find  anything  about  him,  I  will  send  it  along. 

*'  Yours,  very  truly,  John  Graham." 


56 


A  HISTORY   OP  THE 


Peterborough,  and  Ackworth,  in  New  Hampshire,  and 
Baraet,  in  Vermont.  They  were  also  the  first  settlers  of 
many  towns  in  Massachusetts,  Maine,  and  Nova  Scotia. 
They  are  now,  to  the  number  of  20,000,  scattered  over 
all  the  States  of  the  Union."*  Cherry  Valley,  in  New 
York,  was  also  in  part  peopled  from  Londonderry.! 

In  the  year  1723,  the  Irish  settlement  of  Belfast  was 
established  in  Maine,  by  a  few  families.  Among  these 
was  a  Limerick  schoolmaster,  named  Sullivan,  who,  on 
the  outward  voyage,  had  courted  a  female  fellow-passen- 
ger, a  native  of  Cork,  to  whom  he  was  married  some  time 
after  his  arrival  in  America.  This  gentleman  had  two 
sons,  John  and  James,  whom  the  father  and  mother  lived 
to  see  at  the  summit  of  civil  and  military  authority.  In 
1775,  James  Sullivan  founded  in  the  same  State  the  town- 
ship called  Limerick,  from  which  city  several  of  its  first 
settlers  were  brought  over. 

At  Wellfleet,  Cape  Cod,  and  at  Saybrook,  Conn.,  we 
find  some  Longford  emigrants,  —  Higginses  and  Reillys. 
One  of  the  earliest  settlers  at  Plymouth  was  the  founder 
of  the  Higgins  family,  now  so  numerous  in  New  Eng- 
land ;  and  the  first  deed  of  record  in  Hampden  County, 
Mass.,  is  an  Indian  transfer  of  land  to  one  of  the  Reillys. 

*  Barstow's  New  Hampshire,  p.  130.  It  may  not  be  out  of  place  to 
append  here  what  I  have  been  obliged  to  establish  in  detail  elsewhere,  — the 
inaccuracy  of  certain  New  Hampshire  orators  and  others,  in  inventing  a 
mixed  race,  whom  they  call  "  Scotch-Irish."  To  each  of  them  we  may  say, 
as  we  have  said  to  one  of  their  best  men  :  — "  When  you  assert  that  the 
McClellands,  Campbells,  McDonalds,  Magills,  Fergusons,  McNeils,  Mc- 
Gregors, &c.,  of  Ulster,  Scotland,  and  New  Hampshire,  are  of  a  race 
'entirely  distinct'  from  the  O'Flings,  Sullivans,  and  Murphys,  of  the 
same  or  adjoining  settlements,  you  are,  I  repeat  it,  in  error.  We  are  the 
same  people.  Our  original  language  is  the  same.  Our  fathers,  speaking  a 
common  Gaelic  tongue,  fought,  intermarried,  and  prayed  together.  The 
'  Mac '  IS  our  pint  inheritance,  as  the  Norman  prefix  '  de,'  or  the  Saxon 
affix  'son.'  Time  and  ignorance  have  obscured  the  early  connexion  of 
tlie  two  nobler  kingdoms  ;  and,  I  grant  you,  it  is  more  flattering  to  New 
England  pride  to  claim  kin  with  Bruce  and  Burns,  whom  they  do  know, 
than  with  Brian  and  Carolan,  whom  they  as  yet  know  not.  If,  indeed,  a 
'Wizard  of  the  West'  should  arise,  like  him  of  the  North,  to  throw  en- 
chantment round  Ireland's  illustrious  names,  I  have  no  doubt  they  also  would 
find  many  anxious  to  claim  kindred  with  them." 

t  McKensie's  Remarkable  Irishmen,  Part  I.,  where  one  of  the  Cherry  Val- 
ley families,  named  Campbell,  is  particularly  noticed. 


IRISH   SETTLERS   IN   NORTH  AMERICA. 


37 


%'ii 


The  name  of  Ireland  Parish,  under  Mount  Holyoke,  stUl 
shows  the  place  of  their  settlement. 

Some  Irish  families  also  settled  early  at  Palmer  and 
Worcester,  Mass.  On  a  tombstone,  in  the  old  burial 
place  of  the  latter  town,  are  the  names  of  John  Young, 
a  native  of  Di  iTy,  who  died  in  1730,  aged  107 ;  and 
David  Young,  a  native  of  Donegal,  who  died  in  1776, 
aged  94  years. 

In  1761,  200  Irish  emigrants  settled  in  Nova  Scotia. 
The  town  of  Londonderry  and  County  of  Dublin  were 
probably  named  by  them.  After  the  peace  of  1763,  a 
few  Irish  repaired  to  Canada,  but  there  was  no  large 
emigration  there  till  the  beginning  of  the  present  cen- 
tury. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  episodes  in  the  early  an- 
nals of  our  predecessors  here,  is  the  voyage  of  Berkely 
to  New  England,  to  found  his  long-projected  college  of 
Saint  Paul's,  for  the  civilization  of  the  red  men.  George 
Berkely  was  a  native  of  Kilkenny,  born  near  Thomastown, 
in  1684.  His  "  Theory  of  Vision,"  composed  in  his 
twentieth  year,  made  his  name  familiar  in  Europe.  After 
travelling  through  France  and  Italy,  he  was  promoted  to 
the  rich  deanery  of  Derry.  In  the  year  1725,  his  mind 
became  fully  impressed  with  the  project  of  founding  a 
college  for  the  conversion  of  the  red  race,  which  he 
broached  the  same  year,  in  a  pamphlet  entitled  "  A  Pro- 
posal for  converting  the  savage  Americans  to  Christian- 
ity, by  a  college  to  be  erected  in  the  Summer  Islands, 
otherwise  called  the  Isles  of  Bermuda."  After  great 
exertions,  certain  lands  in  the  West  Indies,  and  an  in- 
stalment of  £10,000,  were  voted  to  him  by  the  English 
Parliament,  to  be  paid  over  as  ^oon  as  the  project  went 
into  operation.  He  at  once  resigned  his  deanery,  stipu- 
lating for  a  yearly  salary  of  <£100,  and  "  seduced  some 
of  the  hopefuUest  young  gentlemen"  of  Dublin  Univer- 
sity to  accept  professorships  in  the  future  Saint  Paul's, 
at  .£40  per  year.*     In  January,  1729,  Berkely  and  his 

*  Swift's  Letter  to  Lord  Cartaret ;  Swift's  Works. 

4 


M» 


n 


38 


HISTORY   OP   THE   lEISH   SETTLERS,  ETC. 


^]* 


i\ 


ti 


companions  amvcd  at  Newport,  R.  I.^  after  a  long  and 
stoimy  voyage.  Here,  the  inconstancy  of  courts  pur- 
suoil  him.  He  was  kept  in  waiting  three  years  for  the 
money  voted  him  by  ParUainent,  and  finally  assured  by 
Walpole  that  there  was  no  prospect  of  its  ever  being  paid. 
In  these  three  years  he  was  not  inactive.  lie  had  a  farm 
of  ninety  acres  near  Newport,  where  *'  Whitehall,"  the 
house  ho  inhabited,  still  stands.  Tradition  points  out  his 
favorite  retreat  for  reading,  among  the  rocks  that  project 
over  the  deep  waters  of  Narraganset  Bay.  Here  his 
son  was  born,  here  his  "  Minute  Philosopher"  was  com- 
posed, and  here,  also,  he  wrote  those  grand  lines,  so 
poetical  in  conception,  — 

**  Wostwjird  the  star  of  Empire  takes  its  way,— 
The  throe  first  nets  already  past ;  • 
The  fourth  shall  close  it  witli  the  closing  day,  — 
Earth's  noblest  empire  is  the  last." 

When  about  to  return  to  Ireland,  in  1732,  he  be- 
queathed his  farm  to  Yale  College,  then  in  its  infancy. 
He  also  presented  it  with  '*  the  finest  collection  of  books 
that  ever  came  at  one  time  into  America."!  Thus, 
thougli  his  first  design  in  favor  of  civilization  was 
defeated,  those  private  benefactions  went  far  to  supply 
its  place  ;  and  the  historian  of  art  in  America  will  yet 
tjike  pleasure  in  recording  that  the  first  organ  which 
hymned  tlie  praise  of  God  in  New  England,  and  the  first 
artist  that  had  dwelt  amid  its  woods,  were  brought  hither 
by  the  illustrious  Bishop  of  Cloyne.  This  artist  was  the 
architect  of  Faneuil  Hall,  as  first  built,  and  the  teacher 
of  Copley,  the  first  considerable  native  painter,  produced 
in  the  American  Colonies.  J 


•  "  The  three  first  acts,"  —  Asia,  Africa,  and  Europe. 
"  ""  " "        '    Annals  of  Yale  College,  p.  417. 

's  name  ivas  Smibert ;  bis  picture  of  the  Berkely  family  is  in 

Connecticut. 


'  '•  ine  inrci 

JBakhvin's  v 
The  artist's 
e  College,  ( 


I 


■f 


CHAPTER    IV. 


IHK  EMI0RANT8    IN  ARMS  —  ADVENTURE  OP   JOHN    STARK  —  TUB    IRISIt    BRTOAOS 
XN    CANADA  —  INDIAN    WAR8  —  PEACE   OF    1708  —  DAWN    OF   THE   REVOLUTION. 

France  and  England  had  early  laid  claim  to  the  same 
American  territory.  France  claimed  through  Carticr's 
discovery  ;  England  through  Cabot's.  France  possessed 
the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  (excepting  Newfoundland,) 
the  banks  of  the  Kennebec,  the  St.  Lawrence,  St.  John, 
and  Ottawa,  Lakes  Champlain  and  Ontario,  and  had  its 
forts  on  the  present  sites  of  Detroit,  Pittsburgh,  and  St. 
Louis.  French  adventurers  had  sketched  a  magnificent 
arch  of  empire  on  the  basis  of  the  Atlantic,  but  the 
English  settlements  penetrated  it  as  so  many  arrows,  all 
pointed  towards  the  west. 

Each  power  had  its  "  friendly  Indians."  The  New 
Hampshire  settlers  loosed  the  Penacooks  on  the  French 
in  Maine,  and  they,  in  return,  used  the  Aroostooks  against 
New  Hampshire.  Small  expeditions  were  continually 
issuing  from  the  settlements  of  each  race,  but  no  consid- 
erable armament  was  equipped,  until  the  expedition 
against  Louisburg,  Cape  Breton,  in  1744.  William 
Vaughan,  of  Portsmouth,  suggested  this  expedition  ; 
Mjissachusetts  furnished  3000  men  ;  New  Hampshire, 
600 ;  Rhode  Island,  300  ;  New  York  contributed  can- 
non, and  Pennsylvania  a  quantity  of  provisions.  The 
place  attacked  was  the  Quebec  of  that  day,  but  it  was 
forced  to  surrender  to  the  gallantry  and  skill  of  the 
besiegers.  This  was  in  June,  1745.  The  military  his- 
tory of  America  dates  from  that  remarkable  event,  — 
the  Trojan  war  of  the  future  republic. 

An  Indian  frontier  war  continued  in  Vermont  and  New 
Hampshire  for  four  years.  In  1749,  there  was  a  truce, 
but  in  1753  the  barbarous  strife  was  again  renewed.     In 


40 


A   HISTORY    OP   THE 


>i 


this  year  a  striking  story  is  told  of  four  hunters  from  Lon- 
donderry, who  had  "  wandered  in  quest  of  game"  into 
the  territory  of  the  Canadian  Aroostooks.  Two  of  them 
were  scalped,  and  two  taken  prisoners.  They  were  con- 
demned at  St.  Francis  to  run  the  gauntlet.  *'  This  con- 
sists in  passing  through  two  files  of  warriors,  each  of 
whom  is  privileged  to  give  the  prisoners  a  blow.  The 
elder  of  the  prisoners  passed  through  first,  and  suffered 
little  less  than  death.  The  younger  and  remaining  one 
was  a  lad  of  sixteen  years.  When  his  turn  came,  he 
marched  forward  with  a  bold  air,  snatched  a  club  from 
the  nearest  Indian,  and  attacked  the  warriors  as  he 
advanced  on  the  lines,  dealing  the  blows  right  and  left 
with  a  merciless  and  almost  deadly  force.  Nothing  in 
the  conduct  of  a  prisoner  so  charms  the  savage  mind  as 
a  haughty  demeanor  and  contempt  of  death.  The  old 
men  were  amused  and  delighted ;  the  young  warriors 
were  struck  with  admiration  at  the  gallant  bearing  of  the 
youthful  captive.  They  next  ordered  him  to  hoe  corn. 
He  cut  it  up  by  the  roots,  declaring  that  such  work  was 
fit  for  squaws,  but  unworthy  of  warriors.  From  that 
period  he  became  their  favorite.  They  adopted  him  as 
a  son,  and  gave  him  the  title  of  "  Young  Chief."  They 
dressed  him  in  the  highest  style  of  Indian  splendor,  and 
decorated  him  with  wampum  and  silver.  It  was  not  long 
after  this,  that  Captain  Stevens  was  despatched  on  an 
embassy  to  Canada  to  redeem  the  captives.  The  first  one 
offered  him  was  tiieir  favorite  young  chief  Captain  Ste- 
vens received  him  at  their  hands  with  delight.  But  no 
one  of  the  rude  warriors  recognized,  in  the  young  chief 
of  their  alfection,  the  future  American  General,  John 
Stark.* 

In  1754,  Montcalm  became  Governor  of  Canada,  and 
made  active  preparations  for  war.  The  Albany  Confer- 
ence for  the  union  of  the  colonies  was  held,  and  though 
at  that  time  the  union  miscarried,  a  greater  harmony  of 

•  Barstow's  New  Hampshire,  p.  139.  The  original  name  of  Stark  was 
Star-kie,  or  Stark-e^,  as  it  is  spolt  on  the  monument  of  the  father  of  the 
General,  at  Stark's  Mills,  N.  H 


IRISH   SETTLERS  IN   NORTH   AMERICA. 


41 


action  was  established.  The  campaign  of  1755  began 
with  three  expeditions  against  the  French  forts.  In 
that  against  Crown  Point,  on  Lake  George,  Captain 
McGinnes,  of  New  Hampshire,  **  fell  on  the  French,  at  the 
head  of  200  men,  and  completely  routed  them."  After 
turning  the  fortunes  of  the  day,  he  fell,  mortally  wounded. 
The  other  two  expeditions  utterly  failed.  It  was  in  cov- 
ering the  retreat  of  the  one  against  Fort  Du  Quesne, 
that  George  Washington,  then  very  young,  first  distin- 
guished himself  in  arms. 

The  war,  at  this  juncture,  brought  the  "Irish  Brig- 
ade" in  the  French  armies  to  the  Canadian  frontier. 
They  had  been  brought  from  the  West  Indies  to  the  shores 
of  the  Saint  Lawrence,  for  their  country  was  with  the 
lilies  of  France  wherever  they  might  grow.  In  1756 
and  7  they  were  at  Oswego,  under  Montcalm,  and  prob- 
ably participated  in  the  capture  of  that  fort.  Fort  George, 
and  Fort  William  Henry.*  Some  of  their  number,  leav- 
ing the  service  of  the  Bourbons,  settled  in  the  new  world, 
and  one,  at  least,  attained  to  distinguished  honors,  in 
after  years,  under  the  flag  of  the  Republic! 

In  the  campaigns  of  '58  and  '59,  fortune  a^ain  returned 
to  the  British  side.  Louisburg  was  retaken,  and  Fort  Du 
Quesne  carried.  Ticonderoga  was  at  first  assailed  in  vain, 
with  terrible  loss  to  the  besiegers,  but  was  taken  at  the 
second  attack,  as  Niagara,  and,  finally,  Quebec,  were 
also.  In  1760,  English  arms  ended  the  dominion  of  the 
French,  in  Canada,  as,  twenty  years  later,  French  aid 
ended  that  of  England,  at  Yorktown.  So  one  nail  drove 
out  the  other.  The  treaty  of  Paris,  in  1763,  gave  Amer- 
ica one  master  less  ;  the  treaty  of  Paris,  1783,  gave  her 
almost  complete  independence. 

Among  the  officers  who  commanded  under  Wolf  at  the 
capture  of  Quebec,  was  an  Irish  gentleman,  Richard 

*  O'Callaghan  Documentary  History  of  New  York.  It  is  strange  that  For- 
man,  in  his  Memoir  of  the  Brigade,  and  Mathew  O'Connor,  in  his  Military 
Memoirs,  make  no  mention  of  their  having  seen  the  American  "mainland." 

f  General  Hand.  In  memory  of  this  celehrated  legion,  a  portion  of  the 
Pennsylvania  line,  during  the  w^ar  of  the  Revolution,  styled  themselves 
•'The  Irish  Brigade.' 


tif'i 


42 


A  mSTORT  OF  THE 


''} 


i 


Montgomery,  then  in  hia  twenty-first  year.     He  held  the 
rank  of  colonel.     John  Stark,  John  Sullivan,  and  others,  ^ 
served  their  apprenticeship  in  the  same  Canadian  war. 
Other  days,  and  heavier  responsibilities,  were  reserved 
for  these  brave  men. 

Each  colony  had  its  own  Indian  wars,  which  were  the 
constant  schools  of  the  future  soldiers  of  the  Revolution. 
The  formidable  Delawares  and  Hurons  kept  the  settlers 
of  Pennsylvania  and  Western  New  York  constantly  on 
the  alert,  and  trained  to  hardy  enterprise  the  defenders 
of  the  new  clearings.  ^ 

The  power  of  the  Delawares  was  not  thoroughly  broken 
till  after  the  Revolution,  during  the  progress  of  which 
they  were  formidable  auxiliaries  to  the  Tories  and  Brit- 
ish. Many  terrible  stories  of  their  cruelties  and  punish- 
ment yet  linger  in  the  valley  of  the  Susquehanna.  The 
escape  of  Pike,  an  Irish  deserter  from  the  British  army, 
and  three  others,  from  ten  Indian  sentinels,  near  Tioga 
Point,  is  one  of  the  best  of  these  anecdotes,  and  might 
have  furnished  a  subject  to  the  author  of  the  Leather- 
stocking  Tales.  Though  less  abused  than  Simon  Butler, 
Pike  required  equal  courage  and  skill,  to  overcome  his 
guard,  and  tread  back  his  way  to  Wyoming. 

But  it  was  on  the  southern  frontier,  adjoining  the  Span- 
ish settlements,  that  Indian  warfare  was  most  formidable     , 
and  implacable.     The  Spanish  authorities  in  Florida  con-    > 
stantly  urged  forward  the  fierce  Yemasses  to  the  re-con-  * 
quest  of  the  Carolinas.     From  the  commencement  of  the 
century  to  the  war  of  independence,  Jhe  settlers  on  the 
Santee  and  Savannah  never  knew  reposfe.     The  names 
of  Governor  Moore,  Captains  Lynch  and  Kearns,  and  of 
Marion,  frequently  appear  as  defenders  of  the  whites. 
In  this  most  trying  warfare  was  trained  that  dauntless 
guerilla  host,  afterwards  famous   as  "Marion's  Men," 
among  whom  the  names  of  Colonels  Horry  and  McDon- 
ald, of  Captains  Conyers  and  McCauley,  are  so  conspic-    1 
uous. 

The  peace  of  1763  had  scarcely  been  promulgated, 
when  the  question  of  taxing  the  colonies,  in  London,  was 


^i 


IRISH   SETTLERS   IN  NORTH  AMERICA. 


43 


raised.  In  the  British  Parliament,  in  1764,  it  was  first 
nakedly  brought  forward.  Previous  to  this,  they  had 
submitted  to  many  arbitrary  prohibitions  on  their  woollen 
and  iron  manufactures,  and  their  West  Indian  imports. 
In  March,  1764,  "  the  Stamp  Act"  was  enacted  at  Lon- 
don, and  Dr.  Franklin  wrote  to  Charles  Thompson,  one 
of  the  Irish  settlers  of  Pennsylvania,  **  The  sun  of  lib- 
erty is  set ;  the  Americans  must  light  the  lamps  of  indus- 
try and  economy."  To  which  Thompson  replied  :  "Be 
assured  we  shall  light  torches  of  quite  another  sort." 
In  the  Virginia  Assembly,  Patrick  Henry,  a  gentleman 
of  Scottish  origin,  in  the  beginnings  of  1765,  exclaimed, 
**  Caesar  had  his  Brutus,  Charles  had  his  Cromwell,  and 
George  the  Third  —  (being  interrupted  with  the  cry  of 
*  Treason,'  he  added) — may  profit  by  their  example. 
If  that  be  treason,  make  the  most  of  it ! " 

In  the  preUminary  moral  contest,  which  arose  univer- 
sally, the  Irish  settlers  were  not  unrepresented.  John 
Rutledge,  in  South  Carolina,  was  the  first  man  whose 
eloquence  roused  that  state  to  the  lever  of  resistance. 
In  the  east,  Langdon  and  Sullivan  seized  the  guns  at 
Newcastle,  which  thundered  at  Bunker  Hill.  In  Virgin- 
ia, Patrick  Henry  was  the  first  to  declare  for  the  choice, 
**  Give  me  liberty,  or  give  me  death  !  "  And  Washing- 
ton, at  Valley  Forge,  is  reported  to  have  said,  **  Place 
me  in  Rockbridge  county,  and  I  '11  get  men  enough  to 
save  the  Revolution."  In  Maryland,  Cbarles  Carrol  of 
Carrolton,  over  the  signature  of  **  First  Citizen,"  main- 
tained the  rights  of  the  people,  in  a  long  and  spirited 
controversy  with  Daniel  Dulany,  the  royalist  champion, 
*'  who  had  long  stood  the  leading  mind  of  Maryland." 
His  services  were  well  appreciated,  and  public  meetings 
at  Baltimore,  Frederick,  and  Annapolis,  confirmed  the 
title  he  had  assumed,  and  Maryland  proudly  owned 
Charles  Carrol  for  her  "  First  Citizen."  Charles  Thomp- 
son, of  Pennsylvania,  afterwards  Secretary  to  Congress, 
was  also  one  of  the  earliest  and  most  fearless  advocates 
of  the  principles  on  which  the  Revolution  proceeded, 
that  the  country  could  reckon ;  and,  happily,  there  was 
^.0  scarcity  of  such  men,  of  any  European  race. 


#1  ,{ 


I'        i' 


i    :^' 


■mm 


m 


CHAPTER    V. 


^1 


oramro  or  the  bevolutionart  era  —  irish  at  bunker's  bill — death  or  ma- 
jor M'CLART  —  GENERAL  KNOX  —  THE  CLINTONS  —  THE  FENMSTLVAirtA  LINK  — 

motlan's  dragoons. 

The  period  of  that  eventful  Revolution,  in  which  the 
emigrants,  who  had  chastised  the  savages  and  expelled 
the  French,  were  to  turn  the  firelocks  and  cannon  of 
England  against  herself,  now  opens  before  us.  From  the 
period  of  the  Albany  Conference,  of  1754,  the  idea  of 
confederation  had  filled  the  minds  of  the  thoughtful,  and 
from  the  capture  of  Louisburgh,  the  sense  of  self-protec- 
tion animated  the  bold.  It  needed  only  in  England  a 
meddling  minister  and  a  perverse  prince,  to  bring  forth 
the  great  resistant  qualities  of  the  colonies,  and  these 
appeared  in  perfection  in  Lord  North  and  George  the 
Third. 

It  is  not  our  place  to  enter  into  the  preliminaries  of 
this  glorious  contest,  further  than  to  say  that  the  whole 
Lish  race  threw  their  weight  into  the  colonial  scale.  The 
Irish  Commons  refused  to  vote  45,000  for  the  war.  The 
Irish  in  England,  headed  by  Burke,  Barre,  and  Sheridan, 
spoke  and  wrote  openly  in  defence  of  America ;  and  the 
Irish  in  France,  where  several  of  them  then  held  consider- 
able employments,  were  equally  zealous.  Counts  MacMa- 
hon,  Dillon,  and  Roche  Fermoy,  General  Conway,  and 
other  experienced  officers,  held  themselves  ready  to  vol- 
unteer into  the  American  service  ;  and  afterwards,  at  the 
desire  of  the  American  agents  in  Paris,  did  so. 

The  Stamp  Act  was  repealed  in  1766,  but  the  Tea 
Tax  was  enacted  in  1767.  This  measure  led  to  the  gen- 
eral combination,  which  had  its  corresponding  committee 
in  every  town  and  village,  and  which  finally  ripened  into 
the  Continental  Army  and  the  Continental  Congress. 


f\ 


r  .MWnv-ifWnnM 


IRISH   SETTLERS   IN  NORTH  AMERICA. 


45 


The  firsi  overt  act  was  the  massacre  of  some  citizens  of 
Boston,  in  State  street,  by  a  party  of  riotous  red-coats. 
One  of  these  earliest  victims  was  a  native  of  Ireland.  The 
next  aggression  was  on  the  other  side,  and  of  far  greater 
significance.  News  having  reached  Portsmouth,  N.  H., 
that  the  export  of  gunpowder  into  America  was  "  pro- 
claimed," Major  John  Sullivan  and  John  Langdon,  with 
a  company  of  the  townsmen,  surprised  the  fort  at  New- 
castle, took  the  captain  and  five  men,  carried  off  one 
hundred  barrels  of  gunpowder,  fifteen  light  cannon,  and 
the  entire  of  the  small  arms,  all  of  which  afterwards  did 
effectual  service  at  Bunker  Hill.  For  this  act,  Sullivan 
and  Langdon  were  elected  to  the  Continental  Congress, 
which  met  in  May,  1775,  and  the  former  was,  the  same 
year,  appointed  by  that  body  one  of  the  eight  brigadiers 
general  of  the  first  American  army. 

In  April,  1775,  open  war  began  at  Lexington.  When 
the  British  forces  were  beaten  back  into  Boston,  Thomas 
Cargill,  of  Ballyshannon,  settled  at  Concord,  saved 
the  town  records  from  their  ravages,  and  entered 
heartily  in  the  war.  The  American  companies  formed 
at  Cambridge,  their  chief  outwork  being  on  Bunker  Hill, 
behind  Charlestown,  divided  by  the  Charles  River  from 
Boston.  They  were  commanded  by  General  Artemas 
Ward,  who  stationed  behind  the  breastwork,  on  the  left 
of  the  main  body,  800  New  Hampshire  militia,  under 
Stark  and  Reid,  both  of  Londonderry.*    Here  the  first 

•The  contribution  of  the  Irish  settlement  in  New  Hampshire,  to  the  revo- 
lutionary forces,  may  be  judged  from  the  share  of  the  small  town  of  Bed- 
ford :  Col.  Daniel  Moor,  Major  John  Goffe,  Capt.  Thomas  M'Laughlin,  Lt. 
Joh.  Patten,  Joh.  Patten,  Jr.,  Sam.  Patten,  Jas.  Patten,  Robert  Patten,  John 
Gault,  Isaac  Riddle,  John  Riddle,  Amos  Martin,  Jas.  Martin,  Stephen 
Goffe,  (lost  at  sea,)  Hugh  Horton,  (died  in  service,)  Burns  Chandler, 
(taken  at  the  Cedars  and  never  after  heard  of,)  Samuel  Moor,  Samuel  Barr, 
John  Collahan,  (killed,)  James  Moor,  Robert  Cornell,  Ira  Greer,  Jonea 
Cutting,  Wni.  Parker,  John  Hiller,  John  McAllister,  Barnet  McClair,  John 
Griffer,  Luke  Gardiner,  Robert  Victorey,  Robert  Dalrymple,  (killed,)  Danl. 
Larkin,  Samuel  Patterson,  James  Patterson,  Solomon  Hemp,  (killed,)  John 
O'Niel,  John  Dorr,  (killed,)  George  Hogg,  Wm.  Houston,  Whitefield  Gil- 
more,  Zachariah  Chandler,  James  Houston,  Valentine  Sullivan,  (taken  pris- 
oner in  the  retreat  from  Canada,  and  died,)  John  Ross,  John  Steel,  Stephen 
March,  Robert  Morril,  John  Tyrril,  Patrick  O'Murphy,  Patrick  O'Fling, 
Calvin  Johnson,  (died  in  service,)  David  Riddle,  John  Gardiner,  and  eighteen 
others,  of  whom  three  died  in  service.  — Hist.  Coll.  of  N.  /f.,  vol.  i.,  p.  301. 


;l  .1 

f  "•■'ii 


46 


A  mSTOBT   OF  THE 


ii 


act  of  hostilities  befell,  and  nobly  did  the  conscripts  of 
the  colonies  hold  their  own.  After  a  great  destruction 
of  the  enemy,  they  slowly  retired  to  an  adjacent  hill, 
where  they  were  re-formed,  and  placed  under  the  com- 
mand of  Brigadier  General  Sullivan.  Major  Andrew 
McClary,  whose  great  size  and  desperate  valor  made  him 
peculiarly  conspicuous,  fell  while  crossing  **  the  Neck.*' 
Eighteen  others  of  Stark  and  Reid's  command  were 
killed,  and  eighty-nine  were  wounded  in  the  same  event- 
ful field. 

The  army  awaited  at  Cambridge  the  arrival  of  General 
Washington,  appointed  commander-in-chief  by  the  Con- 
tinental Congress,  in  session  at  Philadelphia,  on  the  same 
week  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  was  fought.  It  is  nec- 
essary to  inquire  what  forces  the  new  commander-in- 
chief  had  at  his  disposal,  and,  for  our  purpose,  what  part 
of  those  forces  were  derived  from  the  Irish  settlements. 

At  the  first  Council  of  War,  held  at  Cambridge,  [July 
9th,  1775,]  it  was  found  that  **  the  Continental  Army," 
then  investing  Boston,  was  nominally  17,000  strong,  but 
actually  but  14,000.  It  was  resolved  to  prosecute  the 
siege,  but  that  22,000  were  necessary.  Of  the  four  ma- 
jors general,  [Ward,  Lee,  Schuyler,  and  Putnam,]  none 
were  Irish  ;  of  the  eight  brigadiers  general,  two,  Rich- 
ard Montgomery,  of  New  York,  and  John  Sullivan,  of 
New  Hampshire,  were  Irish.  Of  the  other  officers  we 
cannot  now  say  what  precise  proportion  our  nation  con- 
tributed ;  but  we  will  find,  in  the  course  of  the  war,  that 
a  full  third  of  the  active  chiefs  of  the  army  were  of  Irish 
birth  or  descent.  Of  the  rank  and  file,  New  Hamp- 
shire's contingent  were  in  great  part  of  Irish  origin ;  and 
in  other  colonies,  recruiting  prospered  most  in  the  Irish 
townships. 

The  command  of  the  ordnance  department  was  a  post 
of  the  greatest  importance,  and  the  selection  made  by 
Washington,  in  this  case,  was  most  fortunate.  Henry 
Knox,  born  in  Boston,  in  1750,  was  the  son  of  Irish 
parents.  Though  early  left  an  orphan,  with  a  widowed, 
mother  to  support,  he  had  risen  against  circumstanced^ 
from  a  book-binder's  apprentice  to  be  a  prosperous, pub- 


IBISH  SETTLERS  IN  NORTH  AMERICA. 


47 


lisher,  and  &  persevering  student  of  tactics.  He  had 
early  joined  a  local  Grenadier  Company,  and  learned  with 
them  the  manual  exercise.  Married  into  the  family  of  a 
British  official,  he  never  swerved  from  the  cause  of  his 
country.  He  succeeded  in  inspiring  his  wife  with  his  own 
patriotism,  and  in  June  both  escaped  from  the  city,  she 
concealing  on  her  person  the  sword  with  which  her  hus- 
band fought  at  Bunker  Hill.  Knox  now  undertook  to 
bring  to  Cambridge  the  cannon  taken  on  Lake  Champlain 
by  Ethan  Allen  ;  and,  after  incredible  exertions  against 
the  difficulties  of  transit  in  those  days,  succeeded.  These 
and  Sullivan's  guns  formed  the  first  artillery  of  the  Uniter' 
States  army,  and  Knox  became  its  first  master  of  ord- 
nance. 

The  Irish  in  New  York  early  enlisted  in  the  cause  of 
the  Revolution,  and  James  Clinton,  in  1775,  was  elected 
colonel  of  the  third  regiment  raised  in  that  colony.  His 
brother-in-law.  Colonel  James  McClearey,  commanded 
in  the  same  militia,  and  is  called  **  one  of  the  bravest 
officers  America  can  boast."  *  The  elder  brother,  George 
Clinton,  after  the  death  of  Montgomery,  was  appointed 
brigadier  general  for  New  York  ;  and  in  1776,  with  his 
two  kinsmen,  gallantly  defended  the  unfinished  forts  on 
the  Hudson,  and  held  the  Highlands  against  the  repeated 
assaults  of  Sir  H.  Clinton.f  By  this  check,  he  prevented 
the  junction  of  that  commander  with  General  Burgojme, 
which,  with  General  Stark's  victory  at  Bennington,  cut 

•  Quoted  in  Hoosick's  Life  of  De  Witt  Clinton. 

■f  On  one  occasion  the  brothers  narrowly  escaped  capture.  The  anecdote 
is  related  by  Dr.  Joseph  Young,  a  contemporary,  who  says,  at  the  taking  of 
the  forts,  "  they  both  remained  until  it  grew  dark,  and  got  mixed  up  with 
the  enemy.  The  governor  escaped  in  a  boat  to  the  east  side  of  the  river, 
and  James  slid  down  the  very  steep  bank  of  a  creek,  which  ran  near  the 
redoubt,  and  fell  into  the  top  of  a  hemlock  tree,  and  made  his  escape  by 
going  up  the  bed  of  the  brook,  in  which  there  was  but  little  water  at  the 
time.  When  the  enemy  rushed  into  the  redoubt.  Colonel  McClearey  and  a 
Mr.  Humphrey,  the  cock  of  whose  musket  had  been  shot  off,  turned  back  to 
back,  and  defended  themselves  desperately.  They  were  assailed  on  all  sides, 
and  would  undoubtedly  have  been  killed  ;  but  a  British  senator,  who  wit- 
nessed their  spirit  and  bravery,  cried  out  that  it  would  be  a  pity  to  kill  such 
brave  men.  They  then  rushed  on  and  seized  them  ;  and  when  the  colonel 
was  brought  to  the  British  General  Clinton,  he  asked  where  his  friend 
George  wasi  The  colonel  replied,  *'  Thank  God,  he  is  safe  beyond  the 
reach  of  your  friendship  !  "  —  Washington  and  his  Generals,  vol.  ii.,  p.  306. 


i   ' 


m 


48 


HISTORY  OP  THE  IRISH   SETTLERS,   ETC. 


him  off  from  either  base,  and  compelled  his  surrender  at 
Saratoga,  —  a  victory  which  completed  the  French'  alli- 
ance, and  saved  the  revolutionary  cause. 

In  Pennsylvania,  where  the  Irish  were  more  densely 
settled,  their  martial  ardor  was  equally  conspicuous. 
They  inhabited  chiefly  in  Ulster  and  Chester  counties, 
and  in  Philadelphia.  In  the  summer  of  1775,  Congress 
ordered  the  raising  of  several  regiments  in  Pennsylvania, 
and,  among  the  rest,  gave  commissions  as  colonel  to  An- 
thony Wayne,  William  Irving,,  William  Thompson,  Walter 
Stewart,  Stephen  Moylan,  and  Richard  Butler,  all  Irishmen. 
The  regiments  of  Wayne,  Irving,  Butler,  and  Stewart, 
formed  part  of  the  famous  *  *  Pennsylvania  Line . ' '  Thomp- 
son's was  a  rifle  regiment.  Moylan,  a  native  of  York,  after 
being  aide-de-camp  to  Washington  and  commissary  gen- 
eral, was  finally  transferred  to  the  command  of  the  Dra- 
goons ;  and  in  almost  every  severe  action  of  the  war 
where  cavalry  could  operate,  we  meet  with  the  fearless 
"Moylan's  Dragoons."  Dr.  Edmund  Hand,  who  came 
to  Canada  with  the  Irish  Brigade,  as  surgeon,  was  ap- 
pointed lieutenant  colonel  in  Thompson's  regiment,  and 
oii  the  first  of  March,  1776,  raised  to  the  full  rank  of 
colonel,  from  which,  on  the  first  of  April,  1777  he  was 
promoted  to  be  "  brigadier  general."  Colonel  Butler, 
a  sound  shoot  of  the  Ormond  tree,  and  his  five  sons,  dis- 
played equal  zeal,  and  merited  from  Lafayette  the  com- 
pliment, that  whenever  h^  **  wanted  anything  well  done, 
he  got  a  Butler  to  du  it."  So  actively  did  these  gentle- 
men exert  themselves,  that,  on  the  14th  of  August,  1776, 
a  great  part  of  the  Pennsylvania  Line  arrived  in  the 
camp  at  Cambridge,  which  enabled  Washington,  by  the 
beginning  of  September,  to  put  his  plans  for  the  siege  of 
Boston  into  execution. 

While  in  camp  at  Cambridge,  the  commander-in-chief 
planned  the  expedition  against  Canada.  This  was  to  be 
undertaken  in  two  divisions  ;  that  of  Arnold  to  penetrate 
by  the  Kennebec  and  the  forests  of  Maine  ;  that  of 
Montgomery  to  advance  by  the  Sorel  and  St.  Lawrence. 
Both  were  to  unite  at  Quebec.   . 


ider  at 
haUi- 


CHAPTER   VI. 


m 


'm 


of 


THB  CANADIAN  EXPEDITION  —  DEATH  OF  MONTOOMEKT  —  BURIAL  REFINED  TO 
HIS  REMAINS  BY  THE  BRITISH RETREAT  OP  THE  INVADING  CORPS  —  THOMP- 
SON, SULLIVAN  AND  GATES  IN  COMMAND  —  ADVANCE  OF  BURGOTNE  —  STARK'S 
VIOTORT    AT    BENNINGTON  —  SURRENDER    OF    BURGOTNE. 

•  It  was  not  without  deep  reflection,  that  -  General 
Washington,  at  Cambridge,  ordered  the  advance  of  two 
invading  divisions  into  Canada.  The  one  was  placed 
under  Arnold,  a  brave  soldier  assuredly,  but  one  who 
cast  away  the  jewel  of  fidelity,  and  left  a  figure  in  the 
annals  of  that  glorious  war,  over  which  his  country  would 
long  since  have  drawn  a  veil,  were  it  not  useful  to  per- 
petuate the  infamy  of  treason,  for  the  terror  of  the  venal, 
and  the  v,  arning  of  the  weak. 

The  head  of  the  other  corps  was  not  a  braver,  but  a 
much  better,  man — a  soldier  without  reproach,  as  well  as 
without  fear.  Richard  Montgomery  was  then  in  his  39th 
year,  having  been  born  in  Ireland  in  1736.  He  had  dis- 
tinguished himself,  at  the  age  of  twenty-three,  in  the 
second  siege  of  Louisburg,  and  served  as  colonel  under 
Wolfe  at  the  capture  of  Quebec.  After  spending  nine 
years  in  Europe,  he  emigrated  to  New  York,  and  made 
his  home  at  Rhinebeck,  Duchess  county.  He  had  mar- 
ried a  lady  every  way  worthy  of  him,  the  daughter  of 
Chancellor  Livingston,  and  looked  forward  to  a  life  of 
peace  spent  in  the  pursuits  of  agriculture.  In  accepting 
the  appointment  in  June,  1775,  he  wrote,  "  The  Congress 
having  done  me  the  honor  of  electing  me  brigadier  gen- 
eral in  their  service,  is  an  event  which  must  put  an  end 
for  a  while,  perhaps  forever,  to  the  quiet  scheme  of  life 
I  bad  prescribed  for  myself;  for  though  entirely  unex- 
pected and  undesired  by  me,  the  will  of  an  oppressed 
people,  compelled  to  choose  between  liberty  and  slavery, 

5 


I  ]'. 


ii 


60 


A   HISTORY   OF  THE 


must  be  obeyed.'*  Major  General  Schuyler,  having  fallen 
ill  at  Ticonderoga,  the  sole  command  devolved  on  Mont- 
gomery, who  certainly  conducted  it  with  rare  judgment. 
Fort  Chambly  and  St.  John  were  successively  taken. 
Montreal  was  captured,  and,  in  the  midst  of  a  Canadian 
winter,  he  pressed  on  his  men  towards  Quebec,  where 
Arnold's  party  were  already  arrived.     On  the   1st  of 
December,  Montgomery  took  the  chief  command.     An 
eye-witness  has  graphically  sketched  his  first  review  of 
his  troops.     "It  was  lowering  and  cold,  but  the  appear- 
ance of  the  general  here  gave  us  warmth  and  animation. 
He  was  well-limbed,  tall,  and  handsome,  though  his  face* 
was  much  pock-marked.    His  air  and  manner  designated 
the  real  soldier.     He  made  us  a  short,  but  energetic  and 
elegant  speech,  the  burden  of  which  was  in  applause  of 
our  spirit  in  crossing  the  wilderness ;  a  hope  our  perse- 
verance in  that  spirit  would  continue  ;  and  a  promise  of 
warm  clothing ;  the  latter  was  a  most  comfortable  assur- 
ance.    A  few  huzzas  from  our  freezing  bodies  were  re- 
turned to  this  address  of  the  gallant  hero.     New  life  was 
infused  into  the  whole  corps."*     It  was  the  last  day  of 
that  memorable  year  1775,  before  the  arrangements  for 
assaulting  Quebec  were  complete.     In  two  bodies,  Ar- 
nold's towards  the  suburb  of  St.  Roque,  and  Montgomery's 
by  the  river  bank,  they  advanced  to  the  attack.     It  was 
the  night  of  the  31st  of  December.     The  Saint  Lawrence 
was  floored  with  ice;    the  shore,  the  pine  woods,  the 
distant  fortress,  all  wore  the  white  livery  of  winter  in  the 
north.      The  divisions  were  to  communicate  by  rockets, 
and  Arnold  was  already  at  the  Palace  Gate,  when  a 
severe  wound  obliged  him  to  yield  his  command  to  Mor- 
gan.    Montgomery  had  reached  Point  Diamond,  by  a 
road  guarded  by  an  outwork  of  two  guns.     At  daybreak, 
percei\ing  the  Americans  so  near,  the  Canadian  militia, 
in  whose  charge  the  work  was,  deserted  their  post,  but  a 
New  England  sea-captain,  who  had  slept  in  the  work, 
before  leaving,  applied  a  match  to  one  of  the  loaded  guns, 


r, 


**  Mass,  Hist.  Coll.  vol.  i. 


IRISH   SETTLERS  IN   NORTH   AMERICA. 


51 


r 


and  by  this  chance  shot  Montgomery  was  killed.*  The 
artillery  from  the  main  fortress  now  played  in  the  same 
direction,  and  when  the  winter's  day  had  fairly  come,  a 
party  of  British  soldiers,  found,  lying  dead  on  the  frozen 
ground,  with  three  wounds  in  his  breast,  and  his  sword 
arm  stretched  towards  Quebec,  the  remains  of  the  gallant 
general,  surrounded  by  several  of  his  staff,  all  lifeless. 
';  Both  corps,  deprived  of  their  chief  officers,  fell  back 
from  the  fatal  walls,  and  retreated  along  the  bank  of  the 
river.  As  to  the  dead.  Sir  Guy  Carle  ton  at  first  refused 
the  chief  the  poor  courtesy  of  a  coffin,t  and  the  prayer  of 
a  woman  at  length  obtained  Christian  burial  for  the  re- 
mains of  those  brave  gentlemen,  who  left  their  homes  and 
friends,  and  wives,  to  perish  in  that  pitiless  climate,  for 
the  cause  of  their  unstipendiary  devotion.  As  yet 
America  had  no  flag,  no  Declaration  of  Independence, 
and  no  Articles  of  Confederation.  Montgomery  knew 
that. he  risked  the  fate  of  a  rebel;  but  even  that  could 
not  deter  him  from  his  duty. 

Three  generals  have  fallen  at  Quebec  under  three  dif- 
ferent flags.  All  were  brave,  all  merciful,  all  young. 
Montcalm,  with  blood  ardent  as  the  wine  of  his  own 
France ;  Wolfe,  with  a  courage  as  indomitable  as  the 
enterprise  of  his  island,  which  can  wring  a  prize  from 
every  rock ;  Montgomery,  the  last  and  best  of  all,  with 
soul  as  noble  as  his  cause,  and  honor  bright  as  his  own 
sword.  Three  deaths,  Quebec,  do  consecrate  thy  rock; 
three  glories  crown  it,  like  a  tiara !  Of  the  three,  his 
death  was  the  saddest,  and  even  so  has  his  glory  become 
brightest  of  them  all. 

Tributes  of  respectful  condolence  poured  in  from  all 
distinguished  Americans  to  Montgomery's  widow;  the 
nation  mourned  him  as  its  eldest  child,  its  proto-martyr ; 
and,  forty  years  after  his  fall.  New  York  gathered  together 
his  ashes,  and  entombed  them  in  the  most  conspicuous 
church  of  its  great  city.     The  widow  of  the  hero,  deso- 


■Hi 


I;  ' 


*  Hawkins'  Hist,  of  Quebec. 

f  Mass.  Hist.  Collection,  vol.  i.,  p.  3  —  year  1703. 


■»."■ 

*5- 


52 


mSTORT   OF  THE  IRISH   SETTLERS,   ETC. 


late  to  death,  assisted  at  these  last  sad  honors  to  the 
memory  of  "her  soldier,"  for  whom  she  still  retained  all 
the  affection  of  her  girlhood. 

The  retreat  from  Quebec  was  at  first  committed  to 
Generals  Wooster  and  Arnold,  and  afterwards  to  Briga- 
dier General  William  Thompson.  Under  the  latter,  the 
remnant  of  the  American  army  fought,  in  the  spring  of 
1776,  the  unsuccessful  battle  of  Three  Rivers.  General 
Sullivan  was  then  despatched  to  take  the  command,  and 
hoped  to  regain  much  of  what  had  been  lost,  when  the 
forces  were  placed  under  General  Gates,  who  slowly 
retreated  before  Burgoyne,  into  New  York. 

Burgoyne  advanced  steadily  towards  the  Hudson, 
sending  out  a  large  party,  under  Colonel  Baum,  to  for- 
age in  Vermont,  or,  as  it  was  then  called,  *'the  New 
Hampshire  Grants."  John  Stark  was,  at  the  time,  in 
New  Hampshire,  having  retired  from  the  service,  in 
consequence  of  the  injustice  done  him  by  Congress  in 
raising  junior  officers  over  him.  But  his  native  state 
now  called  him  to  lead  a  new  militia  of  its  own,  irre- 
spective of  the  continental  army,  and  with  these  he  fell 
on  Baum,  at  Bennington,  on  the  14th  of  August,  cut  up 
his  division,  captured  his  guns,  stores  and  colors.  The 
Clintons,  somewhat  earlier  in  the  month,  had  prevented 
relief  reaching  Burgoyne  through  the  valley  of  the  Hudson ; 
and  so,  in  September,  that  clever  play-wright,  but  ill- 
starred  soldier,  was  compelled  to  lay  down  his  arms,  and 
surrender  to  the  Americans  under  General  Gates.  Thus, 
the  remnant  of  the  Canadian  army,  reinforced  and  rested, 
became  in  turn  the  conquerors ;  and  John  Stark,  recently 
censured  for  insubordination,  was  forthwith  raised  to  the 
rank  of  major  general.*  Among  the  American  loss  at 
Bennington  was  Captain  Mc Clary,  whose  relative  fell  at 
Bunker's  Hill. 


'i 


m 


'  *  The  British  guns  taken  by  Stark  wore  captured  with  Hull  at  Detroit,  in 
the  war  of  1812.  The  old  hero  was  dreadfully  annoyed  at  the  intelligence. 
•'  My  guns !  my  guns !  "  he  would  exclaim,  and  even  thought  of  returning  to 
active  service,  in  order  to  wipe  out  that  disgraceful  event. 


■A 

'i 


r^, 


'Wit 


•:S*i^:; 


m 


H 


r 


CHAPTER  VII. 

XBISHMEir  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES  NAVT  —  COMMODORE  BARBT  —  CAPTAIN  MACOES  — 
CAPTAIN  O'BRIEN —  MIDSHIPMAN  MACDONOUOH  —  PURSER  MEASE  —  BARRY's  LIEU- 
TENANTS, MURRAY,  DALE,  DECATUR,  AND  STEWART. 

The  organization  of  the  infant  Navy  of  the  United 
States  was  one  of  the  heaviest  anxieties  of  the  first  Con- 
gress. Among  a  people  bred  to  the  use  of  arms,  and 
annually  involved  in  Indian  warfare,  it  was  a  much  easier 
matter  to  raise  an  army,  than,  out  of  the  limited  shipping 
of  the  young  seaports,  to  find  vessels  and  officers  to 
whom  the  national  flag  could  be  intrusted  on  the  other 
element. 

Fortune  had  thrown  in  the  way  of  Washington,  a  man 
most  useful  for  this  department  of  the  public  service. 
This  was  John  Barry,  a  native  of  the  parish  of  Tacum- 
shane,  Wexford  county,  Ireland.  Barry  was  born  in  the 
year  1745,  the  son  of  "  a  snug  farmer,"  and  had  but  to 
step  out  of  his  own  door,  to  stand  beside  the  sea.  Hr 
conceived  so  strong  a  love  for  a  sailor's  Ufe,  that,  at  foui- 
teen  or  fifteen  years  of  age,  he  crossed  the  Atlantic,  aid 
began  to  sail  to  and  from  Philadelphia.  He  rose  from 
one  trust  to  another,  teaching  himself  as  he  rose,  till,  at 
twenty-five  years  of  age,  he  was  captain  of  "  the  Black 
Prince,"  one  of  the  finest  London  and  Philadelphia  pack- 
ets, afterwards  a  vessel  of  war.  Mr.  Rese  Meredith  was 
the  owner  of  this  ship,  and  Washington's  host  when  in 
Philadelphia.  It  was  in  his  house  the  illustrious  Virgin- 
ian met,  and  marked,  the  future  commodore. 

In  the  latter  part  of  1775,  Congress  had  purchased  a 
few  merchant  ships,  and  hastily  fitted  them  up  as  vessels 
of  war.  Captain  Barry  was  given  the  command  of  the 
principal,  the  Lexington ;  and  in  another,  **  the  Al- 
fred," Paul  Jones  entered  as  first  lieutenant.  These 
6*» 


V.'i  i 

m 


-i 


64 


A  HISTORY  OP  THE 


vessels  both  lay  in  the  Delaware,  and,  when  the  flag  of 
the  Union  was  agreed  on,  they  were  the  first  to  hoist  it, 
afloat. 

From  the  Lexington,  in  1776,  Barry  was  transferred 
to  the  frigate  Effingham,  and  while  the  Delaware  was 
frozen  that  winter,  served  on  land,  acting  as  aide-de-camp 
to  General  Cadwallader,  at  the  battle  of  Trenton.  In 
1777,  the  British  fleet  destroyed  the  two  or  three  ships 
of  Congress,  in  the  Delaware,  but  Barry  conceived  and 
executed  many  most  successful  manoeuvres,  such  as  cap- 
turing store-ships,  and  intercepting  supplies,  in  the  small 
craft  and  in  armed  boats.  Washington  publicly  thanked 
him  and  his  men  for  these  effective  services.  In  1778 
and  9,  he  commanded  the  *'  Relief,"  and  received  the 
rank  of  Commodore,  being  the  first  on  whom  it  was  con- 
ferred. In  1781,  he  brought  the  American  Agent  to 
France,  in  his  new  ship,  "The  Alliance,"  and  on  his 
way  home  captured  the  British  ship  '*Atalanta,"  and 
British  brig  "  Trespasa,"  both  in  the  same  battle.  Cap- 
tain Barry  was  badly  wounded  in  the  action,  but  contin- 
ued to  give  orders  till  the  enemy  struck.  In  1781,  he 
brought  Lafayette  and  Count  Noailles  to  France  ;  and  in 
1782,  engnged  three  British  frigates  in  the  West  Indian 
waters,  who  retired  badly  damaged.  This  was  the  last 
year  of  the  war. 

From  1783  till  his  death,  Barry  was  constantly  en- 
gaged in  superintending  the  progress  of  the  navy.  He 
induced  the  government  to  adopt  the  model  for  ships  of 
war,  which  has  been  found  so  well  suited  to  its  uses. 
He  was  particularly  fond  of  aiding  the  younger  officers 
in  the  service,  and  we  shall  see  what  his  '*  boys  "  came 
to  be.  He  was  an  exceedingly  affiible  and  hospitable 
man,  and,  what  is  unfortunately  not  usual  in  his  profes- 
sion, practically  religious.  He  died  in  September,  1803, 
and  his  chief  legacy  was  to  the  Catholic  Orphan  Asylum. 
He  has  been  called,  by  naval  writers,  "  The  Father  of  the 
American  Navy."  He  is  buried  in  St.  Joseph's,  Phila- 
delphia. 

The  personal  character  of  Commodore  Barry  was  made 


\ 


IRISH   SETTLERS  IN   NORTH   AMERICA. 


55 


of  noble  stuff.  When  Lord  Howe  tempted  him  with  a 
vast  bribe,  and  the  offer  of  a  British  ship  of  the  line,  he 
replied,  "he  had  devoted  himself  to  the  cause  of  his 
country,  and  not  the  value  or  command  of  the  whole 
British  fleet  could  seduce  him  from  it."  He  never  was 
ashamed  of  his  native  land,  and,  after  the  peace  of  Paris, 
paid  a  visit  to  the  place  of  his  birth,  which  fact  is  still 
remembered  with  gratitude  in  his  native  parish.  When 
hailed  by  the  British  frigates,  in  the  West  Indies,  and 
asked  the  usual  questions  as  to  the  ship  and  captain,  he 
answered,  "  The  United  States  ship  Alliance,  saucy  Jack 
Barry,  half  Irishman,  half  Yankee,  —  who  are  you  ?  " 

In  1778,  Captain  James  McGee,  while  commanding 
"  in  the  service  of  the  Commonwealth,"  was  shipwrecked 
in  Massachusetts  Bay,  and  seventy-two  of  bis  men  lost. 
The  survivors  were  very  kindly  treated  by  the  inhabi- 
taL'<>  f  Plymouth,  who,  also,  "  decently  buried  such 
bod'  >  '<  were  recovered."*  In  1791,  Captain  James 
McGee  was  admitted  a  member  of  the  Irish  Charitable 
Society  of  Boston,  and  in  1810,  was  its  president.  Cap- 
tain Bernard  McGee  was  admitted  the  same  time.  I 
regret  that  I  have  been  able  to  find  no  further  data  about 
either  of  these  officers. 

One  of  the  earliest  prizes  carried  into  the  United 
States  was  a  British  ship,  captured  by  Captain  O'Brien, 
and  brought  into  Marblehead.  We  have  searched  in 
vain  for  further  mention  of  O'Brien  during  the  war. 

On  board  the  other  ships  of  the  new  navy  there  were 
several  Irish  officers,  of  minor  grades,  some  of  whom 
afterwards  rose  1.0  independent  commands. 

In  the  quarrel  between  America  and  France,  or  rather, 
the  Directory,  one  of  the  severest  actions  fought  was  that 
of  The  Constellation,  commanded  by  Commodore  Trux- 
ton,  with  the  French  frigate  U Insurgente.  In  this  action, 
Midshipmen  Porter  and  James  McDonough  distinguished 
themselves.  The  former  was  of  Irish  descent,  the  latter 
of  Irish  birth.     Mr.  McDonouffh  had  his  foot  shot  off, 


m 
m 


^fti 


•Holmes'  American  Annuls,  vol.  ii.,  p.  903. 


56 


BISTORT  OF  THE  IRISH  SETTLERS,   ETC 


and  was  obliged  to  retire  from  the  navy,  but  his  younger 
brother,  Thomas,  who  entered  the  same  year,  more  than 
justified  the  expectations  of  the  friends  of  that  family. 
Their  father.  Major  McDonough,  had  settled  at  Newcas- 
tle, Delaware,  shortly  before  the  birth  of  Thomas,  who 
used  to  say  of  himself,  that  **  his  keel  was  laid  in  Ireland, 
but  he  was  launched  in  America."  Major  McDonough 
died  in  1796. 

Mr.  Mathew  Mease,  Purser  in  the  Bon  Homme  Richard, 
with  Paul  Jones,  was  a  very  brave  man.  In  the  conflict 
with  the  Serapis  frigate,  he  begged  to  be  allowed  to 
direct  the  quarter  deck  guns,  which  he  did,  very  gal- 
lantly, till,  says  Paul  Jones,  "  being  dangerously  wounded 
in  the  head,  I  was  obliged  to  fill  his  place."  He  was 
most  respectably  connected  in  Philadelphia,  where  he 
died,  in  1787. 

Under  Commodore  Barry  some  of  the  most  brilliant 
ornaments  of  the  American  Navy  were  trained,  such  as 
Murray,  Dale,  Decatur,  and  Stewart,  all  of  whom  became 
conquerors  and  commodores.  Dale,  especially,  was  a 
favorite  of  "  the  Father  of  the  Navy,"  and  his  noble  con- 
duct through  life  fully  justified  the  confidence  placed  in 
his  character,  by  Barry,  from  the  first  day  of  his  entering 
under  his  charge. 

In  the  war  of  1812>  Barry's  pupils  all  rose  to  eminent 
distinction,  as  we  shall  find  when  we  arrive  at  that 
period. 


^itl- 


c: 


we 


....;.>*t3 


j>i.*4c^"  -^■ 


V   V  t  '^  t^ 


CHAPTER    VIII. 


DISSATISFACTION  AT  CERTAIN  CONGRESSIONAL  PROMOTIONS  —  GENERALS  ROCHE  FER- 

MOT   AND   ANDREW   LEWIS  —  THE  CAMPAIGNS  OF  1777  AND  1778,  IN  NEW  JERSEY 

—  "MAD    ANTHONY    WAYNE"  —  ADJUTANT    GENERAL    HAND — "THE     CONWAY 

CABAL  "  —  COLONEL  FITZGERALD,  AIDE  DE  CAMP  TO  WASHINGTON,  HIS  GALLANTRY 

t&    AT  PRINCETON CONTRIBUTION  OF  THE  IRISH  MERCHANTS  OF  PHILADELPHIA. 


©: 


The  dissatisfactions  which  invariably  arise,  when  mili- 
tary promotions  are  arbitrarily  made  by  the  civil  poAver, 
we  have  seen  driving  the  gallant  Stark  from  the  service 
of  the  Revolution.  He  was  not  the  only  officer  so  dis- 
satisfied by  the  congressional  mode  of  promotion.  Schuy- 
ler, Sullivan,  and  others,  were  several  times  on  the  eve 
of  resignation,  from  being  inconsiderately  treated.  Brig- 
adier Roche  Fermoy  and  Brigadier  Armstrong  had  actu- 
ally retired  for  similar  reasons.  Roche  Fermoy  was  orig- 
inally an  Irish  officer  in  the  service  of  France.  In  the 
New  Jersey  campaign  of  1778,  he  was  at  the  head  of 
the  Corps  of  Observation,  "  appointed  to  receive  and 
communicate "  reports  of  the  enemy's  movements,  to 
Washington.  After  resigning  his  commission  to  Con- 
gress, he  returned  to  France,  where  an  essay  on  **  the 
Military  Resources  of  Ireland"  was  published  in  his 
name.  It  is  a  pamphlet  of  extraordinary  merit,  both  for 
style  and  science.  The  retirement  that  Washington  most 
regretted  was  that  of  General  Andrew  Lewis,  the  son  of 
Irish  parents,  born  in  Augusta  County,  Virginia.  They 
had  served  together  in  the  Indian  wars  and  at  Fort  Ne- 
cessity, and  the  commander-in-chief  was  strongly  pre- 
possessed in  his  favor.  Poor  Lewis  died  in  1778,  on  his 
return  from  the  Ohio,  where  he  had  reduced  the  Indian 
tribes  to  submission,  for  the  time  being,  at  least. 

After  Lafayette,  the  most  constant  and  conspicuous 
figure  in  the  campaigns  of  1777  and  1778  (chiefly  fought 
upon  the  Delaware)  was  Anthony  Wayne.     In  Febm- 


,'1;* 


lip 


li'hl«te>-l.:c   5  iif.-. 


58 


A  mSTOBT  OF  THB 


ary,  1777,  he  had  been  promoted  to  a  brigade,  and  at  the 
Brandywine,  in  September,  and  on  the  Schuylkill,  in 
October,  he  was  the  most  conspicuous  chief.  At  **  the 
drawn  battle  "  of  German  town  he  held  the  first  place, 
and  during  the  dismal  winter  in  Valley  Forge  he  kept 
the  field,  foraging  right  and  left.  In  the  battle  of  Mon- 
mouth (June,  1778)  he  turned  the  fortune  of  the  day,  and 
won  the  special  thanks  of  Washington  and  Congress. 
But  his  two  most  brilliant  actions  followed,  —  the  capture 
of  Stony  Point,  and  the  battle  of  Bergen  Neck. 

Stony  Point,  on  the  Hudson,  commanded  the  King's 
Ferry,  the  usual  route  from  the  eastern  to  the  midland 
states.  It  also  formed  the  key  of  the  Highlands.  On 
two  sides  it  was  washed  by  the  river,  on  the  third 
guarded  by  a  deep  and  wide  morass.  Art  had  fortified 
what  nature  had  made  strong,  and  six  hundred  infantry 
garrisoned  the  formidable  fortress.  Major  Stewart,  his 
countryman  and  brother-in-law,  with  Colonels  Fleury, 
Febiger,  and  Meigs,  commanded  under  the  general. 
The  force  arrived  before  the  fort  at  eight  o'clock  of  a 
July  night,  and  carried  it  by  one  of  the  most  dashing 
assaults  in  military  history.  Universal  applause  hailed 
this  brilliant  exploit.  The  action  of  Bergen  Neck  was 
fought  the  week  following.  General  Irvine  was  with 
Wayne,  and  Moylan's  dragoons  acted  a  conspicuous  part. 
The  enemy  were  compelled  to  cross  the  Hudson,  and  seek 
for  safety  under  the  walls  of  New  York.  For  his  daring 
valor  in  this  expedition,  Wayne  obtained,  in  the  army, 
the  soubriquet  of  "  Mad  Anthony." 

Another  Pennsylvania  Irishman  figured  in  these  same 
campaigns  almost  as  conspicuously  as  Wayne.  General 
Hand's  corps,  *'  up  to  the  battle  of  Trenton,"  "  was  dis- 
tinguished in  every  action  of  the  war."  In  October, 
1778,  he  succeeded  General  Stark  in  the  command  at 
Albany,  and  conducted  a  successful  expedition  against 
the  Five  Indian  Nations,  whose  conquest  was  completed 
by  Sullivan  the  following  year.  In  1780,  on  the  forma- 
tion of  the  Light  Infantry  corps,  he  and  General  Poor 
were  appointed  to  the  two  brigades.     In  this  campaign, 


IRISH   SETTLERS    IN   NORTH   AMERICA. 


59 


a 


after  chastising  the  perfidious  Delawares,  Sullivan  and 
his  officers  were  entertained  at  a  banquet  by  the  citizens 
of  Wyoming.  Colonel  Butler  presided,  and  one  of  the 
regular  toasts  was,  "May  the  kingdom  of  Ireland  merit 
a  stripe  in  the  American  standard."  In  1781,  General 
Hand  was  appointed  adjutant  general,  an  office  he  con- 
tinued to  hold  tni  the  army  was  disbanded.  In  1798, 
when  Washington  consented  to  act  again  as  commander- 
in-chief,  he  recommended  General  Hand's  re-appointment 
as  adjutant  general.  He  was  frequently  honored  wiu 
civil  appointments,  and,  in  1790,  was  one  of  the  authors 
of  the  constitution  of  Pennsylvania.  In  the  army,  he 
was  remarkable  for  his  "  noble  horsemanship,"  and  his 
favorite  horses  have  been  often  mentioned  by  his  com- 
rades as  "  an  active  grey,'*  and  **  a  sorrel  roan  remarka- 
ble for  lofty  action."  General  Hand  died  at  Lancaster, 
Pa.,  in  1803.     His  life  ought  to  be  written  in  detail. 

We  have  here  to  record  a  less  grateful  fact,  connected 
with  a  distinguished  Irish  officer. 

It  was  during  the  New  Jersey  campaigns  that  *'  the 
Conway  Cabal,"  as  it  is  called,  exploded.  This  was  an 
attempt,  on  the  part  of  several  officers,  traceable  mainly 
to  the  ambition  of  General  Gates,  to  deprive  Washington 
of  the  command-in-chief,  and  to  substitute  that  general 
in  his  stead.  Gates,  Schuyler,  Lee,  and  others  were 
parties  to  this  movement,  which  was  finally  revealed  by 
Lafayette,  and  broken  up.  General  Conway,  who  had 
come  from  France  at  the  first  outbreak,  and  ranked  as 
brigadier  general,  after  a  quarrel  and  duel  with  General 
Cadwallader,  returned  home,  first  writing  Washington  a 
manly  and  regretful  letter.  The  cabal  has  been  called 
by  his  name,  mainly,  we  believe,  for  the  sake  of  the 
alliteration.* 

In  North  Carolina  there  had  been  constant  operations 
throughout  the  war,  and  the  cause  of  the  Revolution  had 
sustained  a  severe  loss  at  the  outset  by  the  death  of 
Brigadier  General  Moore,  (grandson  of  Governor  Moore,) 

"  *  Genera]  Sullivan,  in  his  letter  to  Washington,  says  Conway  was  •'  im- 
prudently led  into  the  cabal." 


:4^ 


i    :% 


\ 


tfO 


A  mSTORY  OP  THE 


in  1775.  His  most  active  successor  in  the  state  seems  to 
have  been  James  Hogan,  also  of  Irish  origin,  who  entered 
the  service,  as  paymaster  of  the  third  regiment,  in  1776, 
and  the  same  month  was  made  major  of  the  Edenton  and 
Halifax  regiment.  Hogan's  services  were  more  onerous 
than  briUiant ;  in  1799,  he  was  appointed  brigadier  gen- 
eral in  the  line,  with  a  view  to  the  required  operations 
in  his  neighborhood.  '  -    ^-k 

It  would  be  impossible,  did  we  descend  from  the  offi- 
cers of  the  first  rank,  to  record  all  the  heroic  actions  per- 
formed by  those  of  lower  standing  through  these  two 
critical  campaigns.  The  name  of  Colonel  Fitzgerald, 
Washington's  favorite  aide-de-camp,  deserves  special 
mention.  The  most  striking  event,  in  his  long  and  hon- 
orable career,  befell  him  at  Princeton.  We  shall  let  the 
heir  of  his  general  record  it,  as  he  had  it  from  the  lips 
of  the  actors  themselves. 

"  Col.  Fitzgerald,"  says  Mr.  G.  Washington  Custis, 
**  was  an  Irish  officer  in  the  old  Blue  and  Bluffs,  the  first 
volunteer  company  raised  in  the  South,  in  the  dawn  of  the 
Kevolution ,  and  commanded  by  Washington.  In  the  cam- 
paign of  1778,  and  retreat  through  the  Jerseys.  Fitzge- 
ald  was  appointed  aide-de-camp  to  Washington.  At  the 
battle  of  Prince  :on  occurred  that  touching  scene,  conse- 
crated by  history  to  everlasting  remembrance.  The 
American  troops,  worn  down  by  hardships,  exhausting 
marches,  and  want  of  food,  on  the  fall  of  their  leader, 
that  brave  old  Scotchman,  General  Mercer,  recoiled  be- 
fore the  bayonets  of  the  veteran  foe.  Washington 
spurred  his  horse  into  the  interval  between  the  hostile 
Imes,  reining  up  with  the  charger's  head  to  the  foe,  and 
calling  to  his  soldiers,  *  Will  you  give  up  your  general  to 
the  enemy?'  The  appeal  was  not  made  in  vain.  The 
Americans  faced  about,  and  the  arms  were  levelled  on 
both  sides, — Washington  between  them,  —  even  as 
though  he  had  been  placed  there  as  a  target  for  botl^, 
It  was  at  this  moment  that  Fitzgerald  returned  fron^  ca^r 
rying  an  order  to  the  rear  ;  and  here  let  us  use  the  gaj-j 
lant  veteran's  own  words.     Ho  said  :  *  On  my  return,  \ 


IRISH   SETTLERS  IN  NORTH  AMERICA. 


61 


perceived  the  general  immediately  between  our  line  and 
that  of  the  enemy,  both  lines  levelling  for  the  decisive 
fire  that  was  to  decide  the  fortune  of  the  day.  Instantly 
there  was  a  roar  of  musketry,  followed  by  a  shout.  It 
was  the  shout  of  victory.  On  raising  my  eyes,  I  discov- 
ered the  enemy  broken  and  flying,  while,  dimly,  amid 
the  glimpses  of  the  smoke,  was  seen  Washington  alive 
and  unharmed,  waving  his  hat,  and  cheering  his  com- 
rades to  the  pursuit.  I  dashed  my  rowels  into  my 
charger's  flanks,  and  flew  to  his  side,  exclaiming, 
**  Thank  God  !  your  excellency  is  safe."  I  wept  like  a 
child,  for  joy.'  " 

In  the  eulogy  which  he  bestowed  on  Fitzgerald,  Mr. 
Custis  has  not  forgotten  Moylan,  Stewart,  Proctor,  and 
other  Pennsylvania  Irishmen.  Of  them,  we  may  repeat 
what  Teeling  says  so  well  in  his  Narrative  of  1798  :  — 
**  They  may  sleep  in  the  silent  tomb,  but  the  remem- 
brance of  their  virtues  will  be  cherished  while  liberty  is 
dear  to  the  American  heart." 

We  have  to  leave,  for  a  time,  the  officers  of  the  army, 
to  look  after  the  condition  of  its  commissariat.  In  1777. 
dreadful  distress  was  suffered  at  VaLey  Forge,  and  the 
following  year  did  not  alleviate  the  condition  of  the  army. 
In  1779,  the  Connecticut  militia  mutinied,  and  were 
only  quelled  by  calling  out  "the  Pennsylvania  Line," 
and  arraying  it  against  them.  In  1780,  even  these  latter 
began  to  murmur,  half  fed,  unpaid,  and  ill-clothed,  that 
they  were.  Wayne  himself,  their  idol  when  in  action, 
was  unable  to  control  them  ;  and,  had  it  not  been  for  an 
extraordinary  effort  of  patriotism  on  the  part  of  the  mer- 
chants of  Philadelphia,  the  army  would  have  utterly 
fallen  to  pieces.  On  the  17th  June,  1780,  ninety- three 
.  Philadelphia  merchants  signed  the  following  paper  :  — 

"  Whereas,  in  the  present  situation  of  public  affairs  in 
the  United  States,  the  greatest  and  most  vigorous  exer- 
tions are  required  for  the  successful  management  of  the 
just  and  necessary  war  in  which  they  are  engaged  with 
Great  Britain :  We,  the  subscribers,  deeply  impressed 
with  the  sentiments  that  on  such  an  occasion  should  gov- 

6 


I 


62 


A   HISTORY   OF  THE 


em  us  in  the  prosecution  of  a  wa*',  on  the  event  of  which 
our  own  freedom,  and  that  of  our  posterity,  and  the  free- 
dom and  independence  of  the  United  States,  are  all 
involved,  hereby  severally  pledge  our  property  and  credit 
for  the  several  sums  specified  and  mentioned  after  our 
names,  in  order  to  support  the  credit  of  a  bank  to  be 
established  for  furnishing  a  supply  of  provisions  for  the 
armies  of  the  United  States  :  And  do  hereby  severally 
promise  and  engage  to  execute  to  the  directors  of  the 
said  bank,  bonds  of  the  form  hereunto  annexed. 

"  Witness  our  hands  this  17th  day  of  June,  in  the 
year  of  our  Lord  1780."* 

Twenty  of  these,  of  Irish  origin,  subscribed  nearly 
half  a  million  of  dollars,  in  the  following  proportion  :  — 


Blair  M'Clenachan,    . 
J.  M.  Nesbitt  &  Co.,    . 
Richard  Peters,      .     . 
Samuel  Meredith,     .     . 
James  Mease,    .     .     . 
Thomas  Barclay,      .     . 
Hugh  Shiell,     .     .     . 
John  Dunlap,       .     .     . 
John  Nixon,       .     .     . 
George  Campbell,     .     . 
John  Mease,       .     .     . 
Bunner,  Murray  &  Co., 


£10,000 

.  5,000 
.     5,000 

.  5,000 
.     5,000 

.  5,000 
.     5,000 

.  4,000 
.     5,000 

.  2,000 
.     4,000 

.  6,000 


John  Patton, 2,000 


Benjamin  Fuller, 
George  Meade  &  Co. 
John  Donaldson, 
Henry  Hill,    .      .     . 
Kean  &  Nichols,     . 
James  Caldwell,  .     . 
Samuel  Caldwell,    . 
John  Shee,      .     . 
Sharp  Delany, 


2,000 
2,000 
2,000 
5,000 
4,000 
2,000 
1,000 
1,000 
1,000 


Tench  Francis, 5,500 


Being 


$442,500 


This  bank  continued  to  exist  during  the  war,  and  then 
gave  way  to  the  Bank  of  North  America.  By  this 
timely  expedient  the  war  was  enabled  to  go  forward, 
and  Washington  found  himself  Tree  to  execute  his  final 
plans. 

The  theatre  of  the  war  was  now  transferred  to  Virgin- 
ia, the  Carolinas,  and  Georgia.  Beaten  at  all  points  in 
the  North,  the  British  attempted  the  South,  under  Corn- 
wallis.  Gates,  the  victor  at  Saratoga,  was  defeated,  in 
turn,  at  Campden,  and  superseded  by  Greene.  Wayne, 
despatched  to  the  same  scene  of  operations,  captured 
Yorktown,   and  shut  up  the  British  in  Savannah.     In 

•  American  Remembrancer,  vol.  x.,  p.  239  ;  6  Haz.  Reg.  of  Pennsylva- 
nia, p.  28,-2  do.  259,  261 ;  Hood's  Sketch  of"  The  Friendly  Sons  of  St. 
Patrick,"  p.  43. 


J 
C 


IRISH   SETTLfiBS   IN   NORTH   AMERICA. 


63 


July,  he  had  the  pleasure  to  beat  them  out,  and,  in  De- 
cember following,  he  took  possession  of  Charleston  as 
they  gave  it  up.  Throughout  his  southern  campaign, 
(the  last  of  the  war,)  he  was  accompanied  by  "  the  rem- 
nant of  Moylan's  Dragoons."  Before  the  evacuation  of 
Savannah,  Comwallis  had  got  cooped  up  in  Yorktown, 
cut  off  by  Washington  on  the  land  side,  and  the  French 
fleet  by  sea.  On  the  19th  of  October,  1781,  he  surren- 
dered himself  and  7000  men  as  prisoners  of  war ;  and  the 
following  spring  proposals  were  made  for  peace  by  Great 
Britain,  which  agreed  to  acknowledge  the  independence 
of  "the  United  States  of  North  America." 

The  surrender  of  Comwallis  was  the  signal  for  peace. 
England,  baffled  by  the  heroism  and  perseverance  of 
America,  relinquished  all  her  claims  to  sovereignty  over 
the  revolted  colonies,  and  prepared  to  sign  her  abdication 
with  the  best  grace  she  could  assume.  In  1782,  the 
Peace  of  Paris  w^as  completed,  and  at  the  opening  of  the 
next  year  it  was  proclaimed.  Thus,  after  a  war  of  seven 
years,  the  liberties  of  America  were  won,  and  the  field 
prepared  for  the  plantation  of  those  democratic  institu- 
tions whose  influence  already  penetrates  the  world.  The 
soldiers  returned  to  their  homes,  and  the  labors  of  the 
statesmen  commenced  where  those  of  the  army  ended. 


1 

.   -. 

1 

fr          " 

1         •,  -^'-^f   . 

--, 

'V 

iv#^;;,. 


I! 


CHAPTER    IX. 


IRISHMEN  IN  CIVIL  8KBVICE  DITHINO  THE  REVOLUTIONARY  ERA.  —  POLICY  OF  THB 
FIRST  CONGRESS  TOWARDS  IRELAND  —  CHARLES  THOMPSON,  OF  BLAQHERA,  8K0- 
RETAEY    TO    CONGRESS  —  THE    DECLARATION    OF   INDEPENDENCE  —  EIGHT    IRISH 

SIGNERS  —  THE  FEDERAL  CONSTITUTION  ADOPTED SIX   IRISH  AUTHORS   OF  THAT 

INSTRUMENT  —  EARLY  IRISH  GOVERNORS. 

The  important  civil  services  rendered  to  the  American 
people  abroad,  by  Edmund  Burke,  Colonel  Barre,  Rich- 
ard Brinsley  Sheridan,  and  the  then  young  Henry  Grat- 
tan,  in  demonstrating  the  justice  of  the  colonial  cause,  and 
vindicating  the  character  of  the  early  Congress,  are  but  a 
portion  of  the  part  borne  by  the  Irish  race  in  the  politics 
of  the  Revolution. 

So  well  aware  was  the  first  Congress  of  the  importance 
of  separating  the  sympathies  of  our  nation  from  George 
the  Third,  that  one  of  the  first  acts  of  the  Congress  of 
1775  was  the  adoption  of  an  address  to  the  Irish  people, 
in  which  they  drew  a  marked  distinction  between  the 
Irish  and  English  Parliaments.  "  Your  Parliament  has 
done  us  no  wrong,"  said  they.  "  In  defence  of  our  per- 
sons and  properties,  under  actual  revolution,  we  have 
taken  up  arms.  When  that  violence  shall  be  removed, 
and  hostilities  cease  on  the  part  of  the  aggressors,  they 
shall  cease  on  our  part  also."  They  conclude  by  hoping 
that  the  extremes  to  which  the  colonies  have  been  driven 
may  have  the  effect  of  deterring  the  king's  ministers 
from  a  continuance  of  a  similar  policy  in  Ireland. 

This  wise  distinction  between. England  and  Ireland  was 
first  made  by  Franklin,  who,  in  1771,  made  a  tour  of  Ire- 
land, and  was  the  guest  of  Dr.  Lucas,  at  Dublin.  In  a 
letter  to  Thomas  Gushing,  of  Boston,  dated  London,  Jan- 
uary, 1772,  he  gives  the  following  key  to  his  diplomacy 
in  Dublin :  — 

"  Before  leaving  Ireland,  I  must  mention  that,  being 
desirous  of  seeing  the  principal  patriots  there,  I  stayed 


y 


IRISH   SETTLERS   IN   NORTH   AMERICA. 


65 


•S" 


7 


till  the  opening  of  their  Parliament.  I  found  them  dis- 
posed to  he  friends  of  America,  in  which  I  endeavored 
to  confirm  them,  with  the  expectation  that  our  growing 
weight  might  in  time  be  thrown  into  their  scale,  and,  by 
joining  our  interest  with  theirs,  a  more  equitable  treat- 
ment from  this  nation  might  be  obtained  for  them  as  well 
,  ias  for  us.  There  are  many  brave  spirits  among  them. 
The  gentry  are  a  very  sensible,  polite,  and  friendly  peo- 
:  pie.  Their  Parliament  makes  a  most  respectable  figure, 
.  with  a  number  of  very  good  speakers  in  both  parties,  and 
able  men  of  business.  And  I  must  not  omit  acquainting 
you  that,  it  being  a  standing  rule  to  admit  members  of  the 
English  Parliament  to  sit  (though  they  do  not  vote)  in 
the  House  among  the  members,  while  others  are  only 
admitted  into  the  gallery,  my  fellow-traveller,  being  an 
English  member,  was  accordingly  admitted  us  sucb.  But 
I  supposed  I  must  go  to  the  gallery,  when  the  Speakev 
stood  up  and  acquainted  the  House  that  he  understood 
there  was  in  town  an  American  gentleman  of  (p,i  a )  was 
pleased  to  say)  distinguished  character  and  merit,  a 
member  or  delegate  of  some  of  the  parliaments  of  that 
country,  who  was  desirous  of  being  present  at  the  debates 
_  of  the  House  ;  that  there  was  a  rule  of  the  House  for 
^'  admitting  members  of  English  Parliaments,  and  that  he 
supposed  the  House  would  consider  the  American  Assem- 
blies as  English  Parliaments ;  but,  as  this  was  the  first 
instance,  he  had  chosen  not  to  give  any  order  in  it  with- 
out receiving  their  directions.  On  the  question,  the 
House  gave  a  loud,  unanimous  aye,  v-bf^a  two  members 
came  to  me  without  the  bar- 


'»* 


After  the  declaration  of  war,  in  1775,  Franklin,  then 
at  Paris,  issued  a  letter  to  **  the  People  of  Ireland,"  em- 
bodying in  more  striking  terms  these  private  views  formed 
in  1771,  and  ably  enforcing  the  policy  of  their  refusing 
to  join  in  the  war  against  the  colonies. 

One  effect  followed  from  the  publication  of  these 
addresses,  —  an  effect  still  operating,  and  likley  to  con- 


•  The  remainder  of  the  letter  is  lost,  —  xnde  Franklin's  Correspondence,  vol.  i. 

6* 


e« 


A  HISTORY   OP  THE 


tinue  long,  —  namely,  the  thorough  identification  of  Irish 
feeling  with  American  success.  If  Ireland,  no  longer  a 
power  in  Europe,  was  unable  to  respond  to  these  senti- 
ments, by  national  alliance  or  subsidies,  the  hearts  and 
the  arms  of  her  individual  sons  were  freely  offered,  and 
as  freely  used,  throughout  the  contest  for  independence. 
Irish  intellect,  also,  volunteered  its  services,  and  was 
employed.  Charles  Thompson,  born  in  Maghera,  county 
of  Derry,  in  1730,  had  reached  Pennsylvania  at  the  age 
of  eleven.  His  father  died  while  the  emigrant  ship  was 
entering  the  Delaware,  and  his  children,  by  a  harsh  con- 
struction of  a  bad  law,  were  deprived  of  the  property  he 
left.  Two  elder  brothers  labored  to  supply  their  father's 
place  ;  and  under  Dr.  Allison,  also  of  Ireland,  (by  whom, 
first  at  New  London  and  afterwards  at  Philadelphia,  sev- 
eral of  the  revolutionary  chiefs  were  educated,)  young 
Charles  received  a  thorough  education.  In  his  youth  he 
became  intimate  with  Benjamin  Franklin,  with  whom  he 
"  agreed  on  all  subjects  except  religion."  In  1758,  he 
was  one  of  the  agents  to  the  Indian  Treaty  at  Oswego  ; 
and  so  favorably  did  he  impress  the  red  men,  that  the 
Delawares  adopted  him  into  their  tribe,  conferring  on 
him  an  Indian  name,  which  means  "  one  who  speaks  the 
truth."  In  1774,  he  was  chosen  secretary  to  the  first 
Congress,  and  continued  to  fill  that  onerous  office  until 
1789,  when  the  formal  adoption  of  the  Constitution 
closed  its  functions.  He  wrote  out  the  Declaration  of 
Independence,  from  Jefferson's  draft,  and  was  the  me- 
dium through  which  Franklin  received  his  instructions, 
and  AVashington  was  informed  of  his  election  as  first 
President  of  the  Union.  He  lived  to  a  patriarchal  age, 
ten  miles  from  Philadelphia.  "  He  was,"  says  a  contem- 
porary, "  about  six  feet  high,  erect  in  his  gait,  dignified 
in  his  deportment,  and  interesting  in  his  conversation." 
He  spent  his  retirement  in  translating  the  Septuagint,  a 
work  of  great  learning,  which  appeared,  in  four  volumes, 
in  1808.  He  continued  till  his  death  to  take  great  inter- 
est in  politics,  and,  in  1824,  in  relation  to  the  contest 
about  the  United  States  Bank,  exclaimed  to  a  friend, 


IBI8H   SETTLERS  XS  NOBTH  AMEBICA. 


67 


i 


•«*.• 


**  Money,  money,  is  the  god  of  this  world  !"  He  died 
on  the  16th  of  August,  in  that  year. 
*'  Mr.  John  Dunlap,  a  native  of  Strabane,  who,  in  1771, 
issued  the  **  Pennsylvania  Packet,"  (the  first  daily  paper 
published  in  America,)  was  printer  to  the  Convention  of 
1774,  and  to  the  first  Congress,  and  the  first  who  printed 
the  Declaration  of  Independence.  That  august  document, 
copied  by  Charles  Thompson,  was  also  first  read  to  the 
people,  from  tha  centre  window  of  the  hall  in  which 
Congress  met,  by  Colonel  John  Nixon,  an  Irishman.  In 
1815,  Alderman  John  Binns,  of  Philadelphia,  another 
Irishman,  published  the  document,  for  the  first  time,  with 
fac  similes  of  the  signers*  signatures.  This  he  had  pro- 
posed to  do  by  subscription,  but  that  mode  not  succeeding, 
he  issued,  at  his  own  expense,  the  most  perfect  engraving 
of  a  state  paper  ever  given  to  the  American  public* 

Mr.  Dunlap  was  captain  of  the  first  troop  of  Philadel- 
phia horse,  and  when  asked,  in  1799,  when  he  could  be 
ready  to  march  against  the  rioters  in  Northampton  County, 
replied,  "  When  the  laws  and  government  of  this  happy 
country  require  defence,  the  Philadelphia  Cavalry  ne^d 
but  one  hour's  notice." 

The  Declaration  of  Independence  was  signed  by  fifty- 
six  names,  of  whom  nine  (including  Secretary  Thompson) 
were  of  Irish  origin.  Mathew  Thornton,  born  in  Ireland 
in  1714,  signed  it  for  New  Hampshire.  He  was  after- 
wards Chief  Justice  of  the  Common  Pleas,  and  died 
June  24th,  1803.  James  Smith,  who  signed  for  Penn- 
sylvania, was  born  in  Ireland  in  1713,  and  died  in  1806. 
George  Taylor,  a  signer  from  the  same  state,  was  born 


♦It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  before  the  publication  of  Mr.  Binns,  there 
never  had  been  a  correct  copy  of  the  Declaration  printed  —  not  even  on  the 
Journals  of  Conj^ress.  In  all  preceding  copies,  the  caption  ran,  "  A  Decla- 
ration by  the  Representatives  of  the  United  States  of  America  in  Congress 
assembled."  Whereas,  on  the  original  parchment,  signed  by  the  members  of 
the  Congress  which  adopted  it,  it  is  as  follows :  —  "  In  Congress,  July  4th, 
1776  —  The  Unanimous  Declaration  of  the  Thirteen  United  States  of 
America."  This  is  a  remarkable  fact,  and  a  strong  proof  of  the  necessity 
of  consulting,  in  such  cases,  original  documents.  For  this  splendid  publica- 
tion, Mr.  Binns  received  at  the  time  the  special  thanks  of  General  Lafayette, 
John  Quincy  Adams,  and  other  eminent  friends  and  citizens  of  this  republic. 


68 


A  mSTORT  OF  THE 


ir 


in  Ireland,  in  1716,  so  poor  that  his  services  were  sold  on 
his  arrival  to  pay  the  expense  of  his  passage  out.  He  died 
at  Easton,  (Pa.,)  February  23,  1781.  George  Read,  of 
Delaware,  was  the  son  of  Irish  parents,  one  of  the  authors 
of  the  Constitution  of  Delaware,  and  afterwards  of  the 
,  Federal  Constitution.  It  was  he  who  answered  the  Brit- 
ish tempters — *'I  am  a  poor  man,  but,  poor  as  I  am,  the 
King  of  England  is  not  rich  enough  to  purchase  me." 
He  died  in  1798.  Charles  Carroll,  of  CarroUton,  was  of 
Irish  descent,  and  very  wealthy.  He  affixed  his  address 
after  his  name,  that  the  pledge  of  his  "fortune"  might 
be  beyond  doubt.  He  was  the  last  survivor  of  the  signers, 
and  died  Nov.  14,  1832.  Thomas  Lynch,  Jr.,  of  South 
Carolina,  succeeded  his  father,  who  died,  while  at  Con- 
gress, in  1776,  and  signed  the  Declaration.  He  went 
abroad  soon  after  for  his  health,  but  was  lost  at  sea. 
Thomas  McKean,  a  signer  for  Pennsylvania,  was  also  of 
Irish  parentage.  He  was  successively,  senator,  chief 
justice,  governor  of  Pennsylvania,  and  president  of 
Congress.  After  fifty  years  of  public  life,  he  died,  on 
the  24th  of  June,  1817.  Edward  Rutledge,  of  South 
Carolina,  was  also  **  a  signer,"  fought  in  the  southern 
campaign,  and  was  for  three  years  kept  prisoner  in 
Florida.  He  became  governor  of  South  Carolina  in 
1799,  and  died  in  January,  1800.*  Of  these  illustrious 
names,  destined  to  live  forever  on  the  New  Charter  of 
Human  Freedom,  Ireland  should  be  wisely  jealous,  for 
the  world's  revolutions  will  never  present  such  another 
tablet  of  glory  to  the  children  of  men. 

After  the  peace  of  Paris,  six  years  elapsed  before  the 
Constitution  of  the  F(  leral  Union  could  be  definitely  fixed 
and  adopted.  Many  thought  th(  old  articles  of  confed- 
eration sufficient — many  thought  a  regular  Capital  and 
Congress  dangerous  to  liberty — many  overstated  the 
value  of  centrality,  and  alarmed  ardent  and  ill-balanced 
minds  into  the  opposite  extreme.  In  this  interim,  while 
all  the  fruits  of  the  hard-fought  war  of  independence  were 


#  t 


Lives  of  the  Signers." 


% 


*f 


IRISH   SETTLERS   IN  NORTH  AMERICA. 

in  danger  of  being  forever  lost,  the  trae  patriots  of  the 
country  had  boavj  cares  and  labors  to  undergo.  To 
George  Washington,  Thomas  Jefferson  and  James  Madi- 
son, of  Virginia,  to  Alexander  Hamilton,  of  New  York, 
and  John  Rutledge,  of  Carolina,  the  fortunate  establish- 
ment of  the  present  Constitution  is  directly  attributable. 

John  Rutledge,  elder  brother  of  Edward,  was  born  in 
1739,  and  commenced  the  practice  of  the  law  at  Charles- 
ton, in  his  twenty-first  year.  While  yet  a  youth  he  was  at 
the  head  of  his  profession.  "He  burst  forth  at  once  the 
able  lawyer  and  accomplished  orator;"  "the  client  in 
whose  service  he  engaged  was  supposed  to  be  in  a  fair 
way  of  gaining  his  cause."*  His  exertions,  mainly, 
carried  South  Carolina  into  the  Revolution.  In  1775 
and  1776,  he  sat  in  Congress;  in  1777  and  1778,  he 
was  governor  of  his  native  state  ;  and  in  1781  and  1782, 
he  was  a  commissioner  from  Congress  to  induce  states  south 
of  Philadelphia  to  form  a  Federal  Constitution.  He  was 
appointed,  under  Washington's  administration,  first  asso- 
ciate judge  of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  survived  his  brother 
only  a  few  months.  His  services  in  the  founding  of  the 
Constitution  are  justly  considered  the  crowning  glory  of 
his  life. 

y,  In  the  Convention  for  ascertaining  the  Constitution, 
some  of  the  Irish  race  bore  part,  though  they  were  not  so 
numerous  here  as  in  the  field. 

Of  the  thirty-six  delegates,  by  whom  the  Constitution 
of  the  United  States  was,  in  1787,  promulgated,  six,  at 
least,  were  Irish.  Read,  McKean,  and  John  Rutledge 
are  already  known.  The  other  Irish  delegates  at  the 
adoption  of  the  Constitution,  were  Pierce  Butler,  of  South 
Carolina,  another  descendant  of  the  Kilkenny  clan,  Daniel 
Carroll,  of  Maryland,  cousin  to  Charles,  "  the  signer,"  and 
Thomas  Fitzsimons,  of  Pennsylvania.  The  latter  had 
commanded  a  volunteer  company  during  the  war,  and 
represented  his  adopted  city  in  Congress  during  several 
sessions.    Ho  was  much  consulted  on  affairs  of  commerce, 


*  Ramsay's  South  Carolina,  vol.  ii.,  p.  317. 


i.r 


70 


"^  k; 


A   HISTORY   OF  THE 


by  Washington  and  Jefferson ;  he  was  president  of  the 
Insurance  Company  of  North  America  till  his  death, 
which  occurred  about  the  year  1820.  These  venerable 
men  had  the  pleasure  to  see  their  Constitution  adopted 
by  all  the  thirteen  original  states,  almost  as  soon  as  it 
was  promulgated.  Immediately  after,  George  Washing- 
ton, as  President,  and  John  Adams,  as  Vice-President, 
were  elected  to  execute  its  provisions  and  administer  its 
powers. 

The  choice  of  a  Federal  Capital  being  by  courtesy  left 
to  Washington,  he  examined  with  that  view  the  Potomac, 
then  the  central  river  of  the  republic.  A  farm  held  by 
Daniel  Carroll  was  freely  tendered  to  him,  and  upon  that 
farm  the  plan  of  the  Federal  City  was  laid.  The  original 
proprietor  lived  to  see  ten  Presidents  inhabiting  **  the 
White  House,"  where  once  the  smoke  of  his  chimney  as- 
cended in  solitude  over  the  waters  of  the  calm  Potomac* 
'  Under  the  administration  of  John  Adams,  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  century,  Congress  finally  removed  from 
Philadelphia  to  the  new  capital,  which,  in  honor  of  the 
illustrious  man,  then  lately  deceased,  was  solemnly  bap- 
tized Washington. 

The  adoption  of  the  Federal  Constitution  was  not  the 
only  labor,  of  the  kind,  devolving  on  those  who  had  carried 
the  colonies  through  the  Revolution.  Each  state  had  to 
be  legally  organized  under  a  republican  constitution,  and 
a  body  of  fundamental  laws  and  precedents  were  to  be 
shaped  and  established.  Then  it  was  that  the  wise  and 
able  of  America  found  how  much  easier  it  is  to  tear  down 
than  to  build  up,  to  agitate  than  to  organize.  During 
the  presidency  of  Washington  and  Adams,  nearly  all  the 
colonial  charters  were  expanded  into  constitutions,  or 
substituted  by  more  liberal  instruments,  and  in  all  such 
changes  the  Irish  race  had  hand  and  part. 

The  state  and  national  offices,  for  nearly  thirty  years, 
were  chiefly  filled  from  the  revolutionary  ranks.     Thus 


F.iSt 


*  The  site  of  Baltimore  waa  also  purchased  from  the  Carroll  family,  in 
1790 ;  Daniel  Carroll  died  at  Washington  city,  in  1849,  at  an  extreme  old  age. 


IRISH   SETTLERS   IN   NORTH   AMERICA. 


Henry  Knox  became  Washington's  minister  of  war,  and 
Anthony  Wayne,  Adam's  commander-in-chief  of  the 
army.  Governorships,  embassies,  and  judgeships,  were 
chiefly  (and  properly)  bestowed  on  these  venerable  men. 

The  first  governor  of  Pennsylvania,  after  the  adoption 
of  the  Federal  Constitution,  was  George  Bryan,  a  native 
of  Dublin.  In  1789  and  1790,  he  was  mainly  instru- 
mental in  procuring  the  passage  of  a  law  for  the  gradual 
abolition  of  slavery  in  his  adopted  state.  He  died  in 
January,  1791,  at  an  advanced  age. 

Among  the  senators  of  the  first  Congress  were  Charles 
Carroll,  and  Thomas  Fitzsimmon  ;  and  among  the  repre- 
sentatives John  Sullivan  and  George  Read.  The  latter 
retired  from  the  Legislature,  to  be  chief  justice  of  his  own 
state,  and  l^he  other  three  to  enjoy  the  repose  of  private 
life. 

In  New  Hampshire,  the  Hon.  Mathew  Patten,  bom  in 
Ireland,  May  19th,  1719,  was  "the  first  judge  of  pro- 
bate after  the  Revolution."  He  was  appointed  in  1776, 
and  continued  to  hold  that  and  other  judicial  offices  until 
his  death,  August  27th,  1795.  The  Hon.  John  Orr,^ 
of  the  same  state,  who  died  in  1823,  was  for  many  years 
a  state  senator,  and  the  oldest  magistrate  of  Hillsborough 
county.  After  the  war  of  Independence,  General  Sullivan 
was  elected  senator  to  Congress,  and  remained  two  ses- 
sions. From  1786  to  1789,  he  was  president  (that  is, 
"governor")  of  the  state,  which  he  resigned,  to  accept 
the  office  of  judge  of  the  Federal  Court.  In  this  situation 
he  died  in  1795,  in  the  54th  year  of  his  age. 

Even  Massachusetts  partially  forgot  ito  ancient  preju- 
dices against  the  Irish  race,  and,  in  1788,  sent  John  Sul- 
livan, the  second  son  of  the  Limerick  schoolmaster,  as 
one  of  its  representatives  to  Congress.  In  1790,  he  was 
made  attorney  general  of  the  state,  about  which  time  he 
projected  the  Middlesex  Canal,  and  aided  in  forming  the 
State  Historical  Society  ;  in  1794,  the  Legislature  ordered 
his  "History  of  the  District  of  Maine"  to  be  published  ; 
in  1807,  he  was  elected  governor,  and  re-elected  in  1808. 
He  died  in  the  latter  year,  after  h;  ving  assisted  in  the 


72 


mSTORT   OF  THE  IRISH  SETTLERS,   ETC. 


Bettlement  of  Maine  and  written  its  history ;  after  gov- 
erning Massachusetts  and  defining  its  boundaries ;  after 
having  studied  under  the  British  officials,  and  beat  them 
Y  'th  their  own  weapons.  Th  son  of  this  eminent  states- 
man was  the  Hon.  Willian  Sulhvan,  for  many  years  a 
state  senator  and  United  States  representative  for  Bos- 
ton, whose  biography  has  already  fallen  into  very  com- 
petent hands.* 

Other  states,  unconscious  of  minor  distinctions,  were 
equally  anxious  to  reward  past  services,  and  employ  the 
best  talents  of  all  classes  of  men  in  the  public  ser\ice. 

*  Public  Men  of  the  Revolution,  by  the  Hon.  Wm.  Sullivan,  LL.  D. 
(Sketch  of  the  author,  by  John  T.  S.  Sullivan.)  Philadelpha :  Carey  & 
Hart,  1847. 


M 


«",/ 


J'' 


ov- 
ler 
em 
es- 
a 

OS-" 

m- 

re 
;he 


D. 


i 


Ul 


V    t 


-t'^rr.'  " 


-J*. 


CHAPTER    X. 


«'^< 


COLONIAL  PENAL  LAWS  —  RISE  OF  CATHOUO   MISSIONS  —  WASHINGTON'S  BEPLT  TO 
r?,.  THE  CATHOLIC  ADDBESB — ST.  MABY'S  COLLEGE. 

The  successful  assertion  of  American  Independence 
drew  large  numbers  of  emigrants  from  Europe.  From 
Ireland,  in  the  first  decade,  the  increase  was  not  very 
visible,  as  that  nation  enjoyed  comparative  freedom 
towards  the  end  of  the  century,  and,  with  freedom,  a 
larger  share  of  prosperity  than  had  previously  fallen  to 
its  lot.  But  the  breaking  out  of  the  French  War,  in 
1793,  the  failure  of  the  rising  of  1798,  and  the  degrad- 
ing legislative  Union  of  1800,  had  deprived  many  of 
bread,  and  all  of  liberty  at  home,  and  made  the  me- 
chanical as  well  as  the  agricultural  class  embark  in  mul- 
titudes to  cross  the  Atlantic. 

Hitherto  the  Irish  had  colonized,  sowed,  and  reaped, 
fought,  spoke,  and  legislated  in  the  New  World  ;  if  not 
always  in  proportion  to  their  numbers,  yet  always  to  the 
measure  qf  their  educational  resources.  Now,  they  are 
about  to  plant  a  new  emblem  —  the  Cross,  — and  a  new 
institution  —  the  Church,  —  throughout  the  American 
continent ;  for  the  faith  of  their  fathers  they  do  not 
leave  after  them ;  nay,  rather,  wheresoever  six  Irish 
roof- trees  rise,  there  will  you  find  the  Cross  of  Christ, 
reared  over  all,  and  Celtic  piety  and  Celtic  enthusiasm, 
all  tears  and  sighs,  kneeling  before  it. 

Whatever  thou  art,  oh  reader !  do  not  despise  the 
institution,  or  the  emblem,  or  the  agent.  If  the  creed  is 
not  yours,  it  was  Fenelon's,  Francis  Xavier's,  and  Vin- 
cent de  Paul's.  Nor  wonder  that  we,  who  regard  the 
Church  Catholic  as  the  pillar  and  ground  of  all  truth, 
should  think  its  plantation  in  America  the  greatest  labor 
of  the  Irish  Hercules.     We  can  sympathize  with  a  Rut- 


74 


A  HISTORY   OP  THE 


ledge  and  a  Carroll,  in  council ;  with  Sullivan  and  Wayne, 
upon  the  field  ;  with  Barry  and  McDonough,  on  the  quar- 
ter-deck ; -^  but  even  more,  and  more  proudly,  do  we 
sympathize  with  the  laborious  layman  and  the  poor  priest, 
coming  together  in  the  backwoods,  to  oflfer  to  God  the 
ancient  sacrifice,  where  the  interwoven  foliage  is  the 
rude  screen,  the  rock  the  altar,  the  soaring  pine  the 
tower  of  the  holy  place,  and  the  wayside  weU  the  foun- 
tain of  salvation.  :  j4 

The  first  Catholic  missions  had  been  those  of  the 
Jesuits  among  the  red  men.  Marquette,  Joliet,  Brebeuf, 
Lallemand,  Rasles,  and  Marest,  all  Frenchmen,  and  all 
Jesuits,  were  the  first  standard  bearers  of  the  Cross,  over 
the  blue  breadth  of  the  great  lakes,  down  the  yellow  tor- 
rent of  the  Mississippi,  among  the  homes  of  all  the  In- 
dian race,  from  the  Algonquins  of  Quebec  to  the  Chero- 
kees  of  the  Ozark  mountains.  But  these  missions  and 
their  missionaries  had  passed  away  ;  and,  though  the 
Holy  Cross  still  gleamed  upon  the  frontier  of  popula- 
tion, its  shadow  fell  on  no  village  square,  but,  rather,  its 
arms,  on  either  side,  but  pointed  to  desolation.  ? 

The  English  and  Dutch  colonies,  planted  in  the  very 
noon-day  of  "  the  Reformation,"  inherited  all  its  viru- 
lence against  priests  and  Jesuits.  The  so-called  freemen 
of  New  England  sought  Rasle  in  his  chapel  by  the  Nor- 
ridgewock,  and  slew  him  on  its  threshold.  Penn  forbade 
Mass  to  be  celebrated  in  his  Sylvania,  and,  in  1741,  a 
Catholic  clergyman  was  hanged  in  New  York  for  enter- 
ing that  province  contrary  to  law.  The  French  and  Ger- 
man emigrants,  of  the  midland  and  southern  states,  did 
sometimes  keep  a  concealed  priest  among  them ;  but, 
under  God,  it  was  Irish  emigration  which,  overcoming 
the  malice  of  the  bigot  and  the  injustice  of  the  laws, 
gave  freedom  to  the  altar  and  security  to  its  ministers. 

The  earliest  notices  of  Irish  Catholics  in  America  that 
we  have  found,  were  those  of  Maryland  and  Pennsylva- 
jaia.  The  Carroll  family  emigrated  before  the  year  1700, 
and  settled  in  Prince  George's  county.  As,  at  the  revo- 
lution of  1688,  Catholics  were  disfranchised,  and  their 


m 


IRISH   SETTLERS  IN  NORTH  AMERICA. 


75 


religious  rites  proscribed,  clerg)rmen  could  only  officiate 
in  private  houses,  and  the  fathers  of  the  CarroUs  had 
chapels  under  their  own  roofs.  In  such  a  chapel-house 
was  born  John  Carroll,  the  first  bishop  and  archbishop  of 
the  United  States,  on  the  8th  of  January,  1735.  The 
first  Catholic  church  that  we  find  in  Pennsylvania,  after 
Penn's  suppression  of  them  in  1708,  "'was  connected 
with  the  house  of  a  Miss  Elizabeth  McGawley,  an  Irish 
lady,  who,  with  several  of  her  tenantry,  settled  on  land 
on  the  road  leading  from  Nicetown  to  Frankfort."  Near 
the  site  of  this  ancient  sanctuary  stood  a  tomb  inscribed, 
"John  Michael  Brown,  oh.  15  Dec.  A.D.1750.  R.I.P." 
He  .had  been  a  priest  residing  there  incognito.  In  1734, 
Governor  Gordon  and  council  prohibited  the  erection  of 
a  Catholic  church  in  Walnut  street ;  and,  in  1736,  a  pri- 
vate house  having  been  taken  at  the  corner  of  Second  and 
Chestnut  streets,  for  the  same  object,  it  was  again  pro- 
hibited. Saint  Joseph's  chapel  had,  however,  been 
opened  in  a  more  retired  position,  in  1733  ;  and,  in 
1763,  Saint  Mary's  church  was  erected.  About  this 
time,  Protestant  prejudice  began  to  abate  in  Pennsylva- 
nia, as  well  it  might,  when  the  Catholics  could  reckon 
the  Moylans,  Barrys,  Meases,  and  Fitzsimons,  among 
their  congregation. 

In  1756,  by  a  special  act,  the  Catholics  of  Maryland 
were  assessed  for  tithes  to  support  the  pastors  of  the  Prot- 
estant denominations  ;  while,  in  the  very  same  session, 
an  act  was  introduced  to  prevent  Catholic  clergymen 
holding  lands  for  church  purposes.  The  latter,  however, 
was  rejected.  In  1770,  Saint  Peter's  church,  in  Balti- 
more, was  founded,  and,  in  1774,  there  were  but  nine- 
teen clergymen  in  Maryland,  all  of  whom  were  Jesuits. 
In  1784,  Father  John  Carroll,  of  the  same  order,  was 
made  first  Bishop  of  the  United  States,  (the  colonies  had 
been  attached  to  the  Apostolic  Vicarate  of  London,)  and 
**  administered  the  sacrament  of  confirmation  for  the  first 
time,"  in  free  America.*  In  1785,  he  estimated  the 
Catholic  population  of  the  republic,  —  "in  Maryland 


m 


•c 


ampbcll's  Life  of  Archbishop  Carroll. 


A   HISTORY   OF   THE 


) 


16,000 ;  in  Pennsylvania  over  7,000 ;  and,  as  far  as 
infonnation  could  be  obtained  in  other  states,  about 
1,500.**  However,  the  local  statistics  of  the  states  show 
this  estimate  to  be  quite  too  low.  Instead  of  25,000 
Catholics  in  the  old  thirteen  states,  in  1785,  100,000 
would  be  nearer  the  mark.  The  marvellous  increase  of 
the  church  may  be  estimated  by  the  fact  that,  in  1838, 
Bishop  England  estimated  the  Catholic  population  at 
1,200,000,  which,  in  half  a  century,  would  be  a  twelve- 
fold multiplication  of  the  original  number. 

Throughout  the  war  of  the  Revolution  the  Catholic 
Irish  population  continued  to  bear  their  full  share  in  its 
dangers  and  councils.  In  1774,  Dr.  Carroll  and  Charles 
Carroll  were  sent,  with  Dr.  Franklin  and  Mr.  Chase,  on 
an  embassy  to  Canada,  which  had  the  effect  of  securing 
the  neutrality  of  the  French  Canadian  population.  If 
the  bigotry  of  the  local  legislatures  were  not  so  fresh  in 
the  memory  of  the  brave  habitans,  there  is  little  doubt 
but  they  would  have  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. But  they  remembered  the  martyrdom  of  Rasles, 
and  the  priest  executed  at  New  York  in  1741.  Even 
while  the  commissioners  were  in  Montreal,  they  received 
a  copy  of  the  address  of  the  Continental  Congress  to  the 
British  people,  stigmatizing  Lord  North  for  establishing 
in  Canada  "  a  religion  which  had  deluged  their  island  in 
blood,  and  diffused  impiety,  bigotry,  persecution,  murder, 
and  rebellion  (!)  through  every  part  of  the  world."  This 
foolish  piece  of  rhetoric  rendered  it  impossible  for  the 
ambassadors  to  secure  the  native  Canadian  population  to 
their  side,  whom,  however,  they  persuaded  to  stand  neu- 
tral in  the  contest. 

In  1784,  the  first  Catholic  congregation  was  assembled, 
in  Boston,  by  the  Abbe  La  Poitre,  a  French  chaplain ; 
and,  in  1788,  they  obtained  the  old  French  church,  in 
School  street.  The  present  cathedral  was  dedicated  in 
1803,  by  Bishop  Carroll,  assisted  by  the  venerable  Dr. 
Cheverus,  afterwards  Cardinal  of  Bordeaux,  in  France. 
This  was  the  beginning  of  the  Church  in  the  east. 

The  conduct  of  the  Catholic  Irish  during  the  war, 


IRISH   SETTLERS  IN  NORTH   AMERICA. 


77 


war. 


drew  from  George  Washington,  afker  his  election  as 
President,  the  graceful  acknowledgment,  in  reply  to  the 
address  given  below : 

,,  "address 

"0/*  the  Roman  Catholics  to  George  Washington,  Presi- 
f;,.  dent  of  the  United  States. 

^j  **  Sir,  —  We  have  been  long  impatient  to  testify  our 
joy  and  unbounded  confidence,  on  your  being  called,  by  an 
unanimous  vote,  to  the  first  station  of  a  country,  in  which 
that  unanimity  could  not  have  been  obtained  without  the 
previous  merit  of  unexampled  sfcx"i(  «-3,  of  eminent  wis- 
dom, and  unblemished  virtue.  Our  congratulations  have 
not  reached  you  sooner,  because  our  scattered  situation 
prevented  the  communication,  and  the  collecting  of  those 
sentiments  which  warmed  every  breast.  But  the  delay 
has  furnished  us  with  the  opportunity,  not  merely  of  pre- 
saging the  happiness  to  be  expected  under  your  adminis- 
tration, but  of  bearing  testimony  to  that  wMch  we  expe- 
rience already.  It  is  your  peculiar  talent,  in  war  and  in 
peace,  to  afford  security  to  those  who  commit  their  pro- 
tection into  your  hands.  In  war,  you  shield  them  from 
the  ravages  of  armed  hostility  ;  in  peace,  you  establish 
public  tranquillity,  by  the  justice  and  moderation,  not  less 
than  by  the  vigor  of  your  government.  By  example,  as 
well  as  by  vigilance,  you  extend  the  influence  of  laws  on 
the  manners  of  our  fellow-citizens.  You  encoui-age 
respect  for  religion,  and  inculcate,  by  words  and  actions, 
that  principle  on  which  the  welfare  of  nations  so  much 
depends,  that  a  superintending  Providence  governs  the 
events  of  the  world,  and  watches  over  the  conduct  of 
men.  Your  exalted  maxims,  and  unwearied  attention  to 
the  moral  and  physical  improvement  of  our  country,  have 
produced  already  the  happiest  effects.  Under  your  ad- 
ministration, America  is  animated  with  zeal  for  the 
attainment  and  encouragement  of  useful  literature  ;  she 
improves  her  agriculture,  extends  her  commerce,  and 
acquires  with  foreign  nations  a  dignity  unknown  to  her 
before.     From  these  happy  events,  in  which  none  can 


i 


m 


■* 


'^ 


m 


n 


A   HI8T0RT   OF  THE 


feel  a  warmer  interest  than  ourselves,  we  derivr)  "{lv";i- 
tional  pleasure  by  recollecting  that  you,  sir,  have  been 
the  principal  instrument  to  effect  so  rapid  a  change  in  our 
political  situation.  This  prospect  of  national  prosperity 
is  peculiarly  pleasing  to  us  on  another  account ;  because, 
whilst  our  country  preserves  her  freedom  and  indepen- 
dence, we  shall  have  a  well-founded  title  to  claim  from 
her  justice  the  equal  rights  of  citizenship,  as  the  price  of 
our  blood  spilt  under  your  eyes,  and  of  our  common  exer- 
tions for  her  defence,  under  your  auspicious  conduct ;  — 
rights  rendered  more  dear  to  us  by  the  remembrance  of 
former  hardships.  When  we  pray  for  the  preservation 
of  them,  where  they  have  been  granted,  and  expect  the 
full  extension  of  them  from  the  justice  of  those  states 
which  still  restrict  them  ;  when  we  solicit  the  protection 
of  Heaven  over  our  common  country,  we  neither  admit, 
or  can  omit,  recommending  your  preservation  to  the  sin- 
gular care  of  Divine  Providence  ;  because  we  conceive 
that  no  human  means  are  so  available  to  promote  the  wel- 
fare of  the  United  States,  as  the  prolongation  of  your 
health  and  life,  in  which  are  included  the  energy  of  your 
example,  the  wisdom  of  your  counsels,  and  the  persua- 
sive eloquence  of  your  virtues. 

"  In  behalf  of  the  Roman  Catholic  clergy, 

"J.  Carroll. 
**  In  behalf  of  the  Roman  Catholic  laity, 

"  Charles  Carroll,  of  Carrollton.  ] 

"  Daniel  Carroll, 

"  Thomas  Fitzsimmons, 

*'DoMNiCK  Lynch." 


THE  answer, 

**  To  the  Roman  Catholics  in  the  United  States  of  America* 

**  Gentlemen,  —  While  I  now  receive  with  much  satis- 
faction your  congratulations  on  my  being  called,  by  an 
unanimous  vote,  to  the  first  station  of  my  country,  —  I 
cannot  but  duly  notice  your  politeness  in  offering  an 


IRISH   SETTLERS  IN  NORTH   AMERICA. 


79 


apology  for  the  unavoidable  delay.  As  that  delay  has 
given  you  an  opportunity  of  realizing,  instead  of  antici- 
pating, the  benefits  of  the  general  government,  you  will 
do  me  the  justice  to  believe  that  your  testimony  of  the 
increase  of  the  public  prosperity  enhances  the  pleasure 
which  I  would  otherwise  have  experienced  from  your 
affectionate  address. 

"  I  feel  that  my  conduct,  in  war  and  in  peace,  has  met 
with  more  general  approbation  than  could  reasonably 
have  been  expected  ;  and  I  find  myself  disposed  to  con- 
sider that  fortunate  circumstance,  in  a  great  degree, 
resulting  from  the  able  support  and  extraordinary  candor 
of  my  fellow- citizens  of  all  denominations. 

*'  The  prospect  of  national  prosperity  now  before  us  is 
truly  animating,  and  ought  to  excite  the  exertions  of  all 
good  men  to  establish  and  secure  the  happiness  of  their 
country,  in  the  permanent  duration  of  its  freedom  and 
independence.  America,  under  the  smiles  of  a  Divine 
Providence,  the  protection  of  a  good  government,  and 
the  cultivation  of  manners,  morals,  and  piety,  cannot  fail 
of  attaining  an  uncommon  degree  of  eminence,  in  liter- 
ature, commerce,  agriculture,  improvements  at  home,  and 
respectability  abroad. 

*'  As  mankind  become  more  liberal,  they  will  be  more 
apt  to  allow  that  all  those  who  conduct  themselves  as 
worthy  members  of  the  community,  are  equally  entitled 
to  the  protection  of  civil  government.  I  hope  ever 
to  see  America  among  the  foremost  nations  in  examples 
of  justice  and  liberality.  And  I  presume  that  your  fel- 
low-citizens will  not  forget  the  patriotic  part  which  you 
took  in  the  accomplishment  of  their  revolution,  and  the 
establislmient  of  their  government ;  or,  the  important 
assistance  which  they  received  from  a  nation  in  which  the 
Roman  Catholic  faith  is  professed. 

"  I  thank  you,  gentlemen,  for  your  kind  concern  for  me. 
While  my  life  and  my  health  shall  continue,  in  whatever 
situation  I  may  be,  it  shall  be  my  constant  endeavor  to 
justify  the  favorable  sentiments  which  you  are  pleased  to 
express  of  my  conduct.     And  may  the  members  of  your 


m 


iU3 


m§  HISTORY  OP  THE  IRISH   SETTLERS,   ETC. 

society  in  America,  animated  alone  by  the  pure  spirit  of 
Christianity,  and  still  conducting  themselves  as  the  faith- 
ful subjects  of  our  free  government,  enjoy  every  temporal 
and  spiritual  felicity.  G.  Washington." 

The  necessity  of  a  native  clergy,  especially  in  the  dio- 
cese of  Baltimore,  was  early  felt.  In  1791,  Bishop  Car- 
roll founded  St.  Mary's  College,  and,  in  1804,  with  some 
of  the  laity,  obtained  a  charter  for  Baltimore  College, 
which  was  first  opened  in  Mulberry  street,  in  that  city. 
In  1805,  St.  Mary's  was  much  improved,  and  a  hand- 
some Gothic  church  was  added  to  the  college.  This  is 
the  Alma  Mater  of  the  Church  in  America.* 


*  Among  the  public  schools  of  Baltimore,  the  "  Hibernian  Free  School," 
founded  by  Robert  Oliver,  a  native  of  Ireland,  i?  to  this  day,  the  most  con- 
siderable and  conspicuous. 


■'!-'ii'    r-.J^/'".   iy^;>''*.     '•'].:.    r^y'  ■  ^;::i-v.-'  '^ 


■'-,1 

I 


CHAPTER    XI. 

UUSH  SEKVICEa  TO  EDUCATION  AND  SCIENCE  IN  AMERICA  —  ALLISON  —  CHARUS 
THOMPSON  —  DAVID  RAMSAY  —  FULTON  —  C0LLE8  —  ADRIAN  —  MATTHEW  OA- 
BBT. 

Among  the  first  educational  institutions  of  America, 
after  its  independence,  was  Pennsylvania  College,  over 
which  Dr.  Allison  was  chosen  provost.  He  was  a  native 
of  the  north  of  Ireland,  and  had  spent  the  best  part  of 
his  life  as  a  teacher  in  New  London,  New  York,  and  sub- 
sequently, Philadelphia.  He  is  frequently  mentioned  in 
the  Biographies  of  the  Men  of  the  Revolution,  as  their 
master ;  as  one  who  had  a  singular  insight  into  character, 
and  judgment  in  the  management  of  pupils. 

Charles  Thompson's  version  of  the  Septuagint  is  a 
worthy  landmark  of  colonial  learning.  He  was  a  pupil 
of  Allison's,  and  in  his  old  age  returned  to  the  studies 
of  his  youth  with  renewed  ardor.  Every  literary  project 
of  his  times  found  in  him  a  willing  and  able  auxiliary. 

David  Ramsay,  the  son  of  Irish  parents,  was  born  at 
Lancaster,  Pa.,  April  2,  1749.  He  settled  early  in 
South  Carolina,  and  was  one  of  the  first  advocates  there 
for  the  Revolution.  In  1782,  he  was  sent  to  Congress, 
and  presided  over  that  body  for  a  year.  In  1796,  he 
published  his  History  of  South  Carolina ;  in  1801,  his 
Life  of  Washington,  and,  in  1808,  his  History  of  the 
United  States.  The  British  government  prohibited  this 
last  work  from  being  sold  in  England  or  Ireland,  —  a 
high  compliment  to  its  truth  and  power.  On  May  8, 
1815,  Dr.  Ramsay,  in  the  discharge  of  his  medical 
duties,  was  stabbed  by  a  maniac,  and  almost  instantly 
expired.     He  is  buried  at  Charleston. 

Governor  Sullivan,  of  Massachusetts,  the  projector  of 
the  Middlesex  Canal,  and  Governor  De  Witt  Clinton, 
Jaaies  Logan,  and  Bishop  Berkeiy,  deserve  special  men- 


J' 


b..:-i,7^ 


A  HISTORY   OP   THE 


P   II 


tion  in  this  place  ;  but  men  with  such  connexions  are  not 
likelj-  to  have  their  honors  mildew.  We  prefer  to  dwell 
rather  upon  the  merits  of  men  'ess  known  to  the  public 
memory,  but  not  less  influen-ial  in  affecting  the  present 
prosperity  of  America. 

Christopher  CoUes  arrived  from  Ireland  on  these  shores 
about  the  time  Fulton  was  born.  In  1772,  he  delivered 
a  series  of  lectures  "  on  the  subject  of  Lock  Navigation," 
at  Philadelphia.  "He  was  the  first  person,"  says  De 
Witt  Clinton,  **  who  suggested  to  the  government  of  the 
state  (New  York)  the  canals  and  improvements  on  the 
Ontario  route.  Unfortunately  for  him,  and,  perhaps,  for 
the  public,"  adds  the  same  authority,  "he  was  gener- 
ally considered  as  a  visionary  projector,  and  his  plans 
were  sometimes  treated  with  ridicule,  and  frequently 
viewed  with  distrust."*  In  1784,  1785,  1786,  and  for 
several  successive  years,  he  petition(3d  the  Legislature  of 
that  state,  on  the  importance  and  practicability  of  uniting 
the  western  lakes  to  the  Atlantic.  He  was,  probably, 
the  author  of  the  letters  signed  "  Hibernicus,"  on  the 
same  subject,  which  were  published  at  New  York  about 
the  beginning  of  this  century.  In  1774,  he  proposed  to 
supply  Ne>v  York  with  water  by  aqueducts,  such  as  now 
bring  in  th»o  Croton,  and  of  which  he  exhibited  models 
at  public  lectures.  During  the  last  war,  he  was  "the 
projector  and  attendant  of  the  telegraph  erected  on  Cas- 
tle Clinton."  He  died  in  obscurity  and  poverty,  while 
others  were  growing  fiimous  and  wealthy  upon  the  stolen 
ideas  of  his  failing  intellect. 

Robert  Fulton  was  born  of  poor  Irish  parents,  at  Lit- 
tle Britain,  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1705. 
He  early  displayed  artist  tastes,  and  painted  portraits  for 
a  subsistence,  in  Philadelphia,  before  he  was  quite  a 
man.  In  1780,  he  went  to  London,  lived  with  Benjamin 
West,  and  took  out  several  patents;  in  1790,  he  went  to 
Paris,  and  resided  with  the  Hon.  Joel  Barlow  till  1808, 
where,   in   1803,   after  many  delays   and   mishaps,   he 

•  O'Reilly's  History  of  Rochester.     Mr.  Cliarlt'K  King's  Memoir  of  the 
Croton  Aqueduct. 


>» 


/.'IS- 


IRISH  SETTLERS  IN  NORTH   AMERICA. 


83 


launched  the  first  boat  propelled  by  steam  power,  on  the 
Seine.  In  1806,  he  reiumed  to  America,  and  ran  a  more 
complete  model  boat  on  the  Hudson.  From  this  time 
forth,  his  fortune  needed  no  patron's  aid ;  but  he  did  not 
live  long  to  enjoy  its  sweets.  He  died  February  23, 
1815,  in  his  44th  year,  too  soon  for  his  country,  though 
not  too  soon  for  history. 

It  is  not  now  possible  for  us  to  estimate  how  much  of 
the  growth  and  greatness  of  America  is  due  to  the  canals 
of  CoUes,  and  the  steamboats  of  Fulton.  In  fifty  years 
this  nation  has  increased  its  territory  ten  fold,  its  popu- 
lation seven  fold,  and  its  wealth  a  thousand  fold.  Too 
seldom  do  we  remember,  when  borne  triumphantly  on 
the  tide  of  all  this  prosperous  increase,  that  to  these 
humble,  studious  men,  stout-hearted  wrestlers  with  for- 
midable problems,  patient  bearers,  for  truth's  sake,  of 
ridicule  and  reproach,  we  owe  so  much  of  all  we  most 
boast  of  and  most  enjoy. 

Among  the  most  distinguished  mathematicians  of  this 
continent,  Robert  Adrain  holds  a  conspicuous  place.  He 
was  born  in  Carrickfergus,  September  30,  1775,  and  was, 
in  1798,  a  United  Irishman.  After  the  failure  of  that 
memorable  insurrection,  he  emigrated  to  America,  poor 
and  undistinguished.  His  success  on  these  shores  we 
transcribe  from  the  record  made  by  another  hand  :  — - 

"  Robert  was  the  eldest  of  five  children,  anil  lost  both 
his  parents  in  his  fifteenth  year.  He  was  an  excellent 
mathematician  and  linguist,  and  taught  school  at  Bally- 
carry  when  only  in  his  sixteenth  year.  Mr.  Mortimer,  a 
gentleman  of  great  wealth  and  influence  in  Cumber,  en- 
gaged him  as  an  instructor  of  his  children ;  but  when  the 
Irish  people  mtide  an  elfort,  in  1798,  to  shake  off  their 
ancient  o{)pressors,  Robert  Adrain  took  the  command  of 
a  company  of  the  United  Irish,  while  Mr.  Mortimer, 
being  an  olfuH'r  of  the  English  authorities,  was  oifering  a 
n.'wanl  ol'  lifty  pounds  lor  his  captnre.  At  the  battle  of 
8aint(iel(l,  Mr.  Alortinier  received  a  mortal  blow.  But  it 
so  happened  tliat  Mr.  A(h*ain,  having  refus(Ml  his  assent 
to  some  measure  proposed  in  his  division  of  the  army, 


u 


A   HISTORY   OP   THR 


\ 


received  a  dangerous  wound  in  the  back  from  one  of  his 
own  men  the  day  before  the  battle,  and  was  reported  to 
be  dead.  This  stopped  further  search  after  him,  and 
after  several  narrow  escapes  from  the  hands  of  Ireland's 
enemies,  he  found  a  refuge  in  New  York,  then  suffering 
from  the  yellow  fever.  He  first  taught  an  academy  at 
Prince.ton,  N.  J.,  then  became  principal  of  the  York 
County  Academy,  next  took  charge  of  the  academy  at 
Reading,  and  became  a  valuable  contributor  to  Baron's 
*  Mathematical  Correspondent,'  and  afterwards  editor  of 
the  Analist,  which  he  continued  for  several  years  in 
Philadelphia. 

*'  In  1810,  he  was  appointed  Professor  of  Mathematics 
and  Natural  Philosophy  in  Queen's  (now  Rutger's)  Col- 
lege, New  Brunswick,  had  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws 
conferred  on  him,  and  was  soon  after  elected  a  member 
of  the  philosophical  societies  in  Europe  and  America. 
He  edited  the  third  American  edition  of  Hutton's  Course 
of  Mathematics,  and  made  important  corrections,  adding 
many  valuable  notes,  and  an  elementary  treatise  on 
Descriptive  Geometry. 

"  On  the  decease  of  Dr.  Kemp,  Dr,  Adrain  was  elected, 
in  1813,  Professor  of  Mathematics  and  Natural  Philoso- 
phy in  Columbia  College,  New  York  ;  soon  after  which 
he  published  a  paper  on  the  figure  and  magnitude  of  the 
earth,  and  gravity,  which  obtained  for  him  great  celebrity 
in  Europe.  He  contributed  to  the  periodicals  of  the  day, 
edited  the  Mathematical  Diary  in  1825,  and  was  looked 
up  to  as  having  no  superior  among  the  mathematicians 
of  America.  The  ease  and  facility  with  which  he  im- 
parted instruction,  his  fluency  in  reading  the  Greek  and 
Latin  authors,  and  extensive  acquaintance  with  general 
literature,  his  social  disposition,  strong  understanding, 
and  high  conversational  powers,  caused  the  students  and 
professors  greatly  to  regret  his  resignation  of  his  office  in 
1826.  The  senior  mathematical  class  had  his  portrait 
taken  by  the  distinguished  Irish  artist,  Ingham  ;  an  ad- 
mirable likeness. 

**  After  leaving  New  York,  he  held  for  several  years  a 


IRISH   SETTLERS    OF   NORTH   AMERICA. 


85 


professorship  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  of  which 
institution  he  was  vice-provost.  Towards  the  close  of 
his  life,  his  memory  and  other  faculties  of  his  mind  suf- 
fered decay.  Through  life  he  was  a  sincere  Christian, 
and  few  theologians  could  better  explain  the  more  diffi- 
cult passages  of  Scripture.  His  strong  and  powerful 
intellect,  and  pure  and  fervent  piety,  were  cited  as  a 
refutation  of  the  sentiment  that  the  study  of  the  abstruse 
sciences  tends  to  infidelity."  * 

Nor  must  we  omit  to  mention  here  the  name  of  Mathew 
Carey,  one  of  the  first  American  writers  on  Political 
Economy.  Mr.  Carey  was  born  in  Ireland,  in  the  year 
1761,  and  removed  to  Philadelphia,  about  the  period  of 
the  Revolution.  From  1780  till  1830,  he  was  an  un- 
wearied student  of  questions  affecting  trade,  emigration, 
banking,  wages,  public  schools,  benevolent  societies,  and 
the  public  health.  lie  was,  we  believe,  the  first  to  pro- 
pose a  monument  to  Robert  Fulton.  He  was  also  a 
consistent  frieud  of  liberty  everywhere,  of  which  his 
"  Vindicse  Hiberniee,"  "  Olive  Branch,"  and  "  Case  of  the 
Greeks,"  remain  as  ample  evidence.  He  died  at  a  good 
old  age,  in  Philadelphia,  having  reared  up  a  numerous 
family,  full  of  hereditary  ability,  who  seem  destined  still 
further  to  dignify  the  name  of  Carey.f 

*  McKenzie's  Illustrious  Irishmen,  Part,  II.  Tn  our  own  time,  we  are 
not  wholly  iiN represented  in  Irish  science.  Henry  O'Reilly,  a  native  of 
Cavan,  stili  la  the  prime  of  life,  iias  been  the  most  active  and  successful  per- 
fector  of  the  electric  telegraph  in  North  America. 

f  Henry  C.  Carey,  the  distinguished  political  economist,  is  the  son  of 
Mathew  Carey.  Many  of  his  essays  on  wages,  trade,  &c.,  have  been  trans- 
lated in  France,  Germany,  and  Sweden. 

8 


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CHAPTER    XII. 

WASHINQTON,  PRESIDENT  —  PARTY  ORGANIZATION  INTO  FEDERALISTS  AND  EEPUBtl- 
CANS  —  IN^'LCE^JE  OF  JEFFERSON  OVER  THE  IRISH  COMMUNITY  —  THE  XJNITKD 
IRISH  ORGANIZATION  IN  AMERICA  —  ADAMS,  PRESIDENT  —  THE  ALIEN  AND  SEDI- 
TION LAWS  —  THE  FEDERAL  RIOTS  —  HON.  RUFUS  KING. 

On  tlie  30th  of  April,  1789,  Washington  opened  the 
first  Congress,  by  an  address,  delivered  in  person,  which 
wa^  the  custom,  until  President  Jefferson  adopted  the 
form  of  the  written  "Message,"  still  adhered  to. 

^)uring  the  second  term  of  Washington's  presidency, 
the  fact  that  there  were  two  parties  radically  opposed  to 
each  other  became  apparent.  John  Adams,  vice-presi- 
dent, and  Alexander  IlamiltoTi,  secretary  of  state,  headed 
the  one  which  was  in  favor  of  a  national  bank,  a  high 
tariff,  and  strong  powers  of  central  control.  Thomas  Jef- 
ferson, James  Madison,  and  their  friends,  were  utterly 
opposed  to  these  principles  of  government.  The  repub- 
licans accused  the  federalists  of  British  predilections,  and 
the  federalists  occused  them  of  "  French  principles." 
Washington  w."S  believed  to  be  inclined  to  the  former, 
but,  with  excellent  temper  and  feeling,  he  maintained  in 
office  an  unbiassed  and  equable  tone,  preserving,  till  the 
last  act '  f  his  life,  the  respectful  confidence  of  all  parties. 

Jeff'jrson's  principles  exercised  an  early  and  a  perma- 
nent influence  on  tbe  Irish  citizens,  lie  was  strongly 
anti-British,  so  w^ere  ti^ey  ;  he  fa>>;red  the  largest  tolera- 
tion, so  did  they  ;  he  was  master  of  a  laconic,  powerful 
style,  which  they  intuitively  admired.  He  practised  in 
his  own  person  great  republican  simplicity,  unlike  the 
official  reserve  of  Washington  and  Adams,  lie  bad  a 
bold  tongue,  a  warm  heart,  and  a  strong  head,  —  (pialities 
■which  the  children  of  Ireland  have  always  respected  and 
confided  in. 

The  great  majority  of  the   Irish  settlers  and  their  de- 


IRISH   SETTLERS   IN  NORTH   AMERICA. 


87 


scendants  were,  therefore,  Jeffersonian  Democrats.  But 
the  chiefs  of  their  communities  were  by  no  means  unani- 
mous. The  CarroUs,  Harpers,  and  Rutledges  were  Fed- 
eralists, the  SuUivans  and  Butlers,  Democrats.  The 
numbers  inclined  to  the  Oracle  of  Monticello,  and,  after 
the  administration  of  John  Adams,  became  the  warmest 
partisans  of  democracy. 

The  administration  of  John  Adams  began  in  1797,  and 
is  remarkable  to  us,  in  the  first  place,  for  the  events  con- 
nected with  "  the  United  Irishmen,"  which  happened  in 
his  time.  Soon  after  the  formation  of  the  society  in  Ire- 
land, a  similar  one  sprung  up  in  America.  Its  head 
quarters  were  at  Philadelphia,  where  Matthew  Carey,  and 
other  good  men,  gave  it  aid  and  impulse.  The  publica- 
tions of  the  Irish  society  were  reprinted  there  so  early  as 
1794,  funds  were  collected,  and  arms  promised.  Wolfe 
Tone,  flying  in  despair  from  Ireland,  returned  from  his 
"New  Jersey  farm"  to  Paris,  to  make  an  effort  for 
French  aid.  The  "French  party,"  as  the  Democrats 
were  called,  and  the  friends  of  Ireland,  were  identical 
here,  and,  in  1797,  "the  American  Society  of  United 
Irishmen"  was  a  very  formidable  body. 

In  1798,  on  pretence  of  danger  from  this  and  other 
sources.  President  Adams  suggested  and  obtained  the 
famoi3  "Alien  Law."  By  this  law,  the  president 
could  order  any  alien  he  deemed  "dangerous"  to  quit 
the  country ;  others  were  to  be  licensed  to  remain  during 
his  pleasure,  and  the  neglect  to  get  licensed  was  an  of- 
fence punishable  by  three  years'  imprisonment,  and  per- 
petual disc^ualification  for  citizenship.  Fourteen  years* 
residence  was  also  the  time  fixed  as  necessary  to  natu- 
ralization. This  law  having  been  severely  commented  on 
by  tlie  press,  the  President  procured  the  passage  of  "the 
Sedition  Law,"  making  it  a  seditious  libel  to  reflect  on 
the  conduct  or  motives  of  the  Congress  or  President. 
These  measures  violently  inflamed  the  country,  and,  more 
that  any  other  cause,  organized  the  two  antagonist  parties. 
The  Federalists  adhered  to  Mr.  Adams,  the  Democrats 
to  Mr.  Jefferson.     The  adopted  citizens  generally  joined 


m 

■  i4 
•ii 

<i1 


!•' 


''^^Jt^jy:., 


88 


A   BISTORT  OF  THE 


!. 


■I 


the  latter,  whose  principles,  indeed,  were  those  most 
favorable  to  the  new-comer  and  the  settler. 

Among  the  first  arrests  under  the  sedition  law  were 
Dr.  James  Smith  and  Mr.  Burk,  of  New  York,  the  one  a 
citizen,  the  other  "  an  alien."  They  were  publishers  of 
an  opposition  paper  called  "The  Time-Piece;"  but  so 
violent  was  the  spirit  of  proscription,  that  Burk  thought 
it  advisable  to  escape  from  the  country,  after  which  the 
prosecution  against  Smith  was  dropped.*  - 

Mr.  Duane,  Dr.  Reynolds,  and  other  naturalized  citizens 
of  Philadelphia,  vigorously  agitated  a  repeal  of  these  ob- 
jectionable laws.  The  former  was  frequently  in  personal 
danger  from  his  opponents,  and  the  doctor  was  removed 
from  his  situation  as  physician  to  the  Dispensary.  In 
1798,  "The  Alien  Riot,"  or  "Federal  Riot,"  occurred 
at  Saint  Mary's  Church,  in  Philadelphia.  The  opponents 
of  the  law,  having  brought  a  petition  to  the  church 
doors,  soliciting  the  signatures  of  the  congregation,  were 
attacked  and  badly  beaten  by  the  Federalists,  headed  by 
a  citizen  named  Gallagher.  A  trial  of  the  rioters  was  had, 
but  the  jury  disagreed,  and  the  case  was  dismissed. 

At  this  time  Sir  Robert  Listen,  the  British  minister, 
was  considered  to  be  on  more  intimate  terms  with  Mr. 
Adams  than  was  consistent  with  a  sound  American 
policy.  The  minister's  letters,  so  far  as  published,  cer- 
tainly countenance  the  charge.  He  seems  to  have  been 
less  an  ambassador  to,  than  an  adviser  of,  the  govern- 
ment. In  one  of  his  letters  to  the  governor  general  of 
Cana<la,  (dated  May  23,  1799,)  he  says,  in  reference  to 
the  Federal  riots,  "The  conduct  of  some  of  these  gentle- 
men, (the  Federalists,)  being  shamefully  calumniated  by 
some  of  the  popular  newspapers,  they  have  ventured  to 
take  the  law  into  their  own  hands,  and  to  punish  one 
or  two  of  the  printers,  (by  a  smart  flogging,)  a  circum- 
stance which  has  given  rise  to  much  animosity,  to 
threats,  and  to  a  commencement  of  armed  associations 
on  the  side  of  the  Democrats,  (particularly  the  United 


*  History  of  the  Adams  Administration,  p.  225. 


.\-i 


i! 


IRISH   SETTLERS  IN  NORTH   AMERICA. 


89 


Irishmen,)  and  some  apprehend  that  the  affair  may  lead 
to  civil  war."*  The  wish,  perhaps,  "  was  father  to  the 
thought"  of  the  British  minister. 

The  Irish  democratic  feeling  was  further  influenced 
against  Mr.  Adams'  administration  by  the  following  cir- 
cumstances. The  elder  Emmet,  Dr.  McNevin,  and 
several  of  their  companions  in  the  Irish  revolt  of  1798, 
having  been  arrested,  by  surprise,  at  Bond's,  in  Dublin, 
were  consigned  close  prisoners  to  Fort  George,  in  Scot- 
land. In  1799  and  1800,  the  British  government  agreed 
to  let  them  go,  provided  they  agreed  to  quit  the  British 
dominions  forever.  Having,  at  length,  arranged  the 
terms,  Thomas  Addis  Emmet,  for  himself  and  his  com- 
patriots, applied  to  Rufus  King,  our  minister  at  London, 
for  passports,  but  was  inhospitably  refused  by  that  per- 
sonage, who  added  that  "  there  were  republicans  enough 
in  America."  Emmet  and  McNevin  were  forced  to 
spend  three  years  in  France  ;  Sampson  was  imprisoned 
in  Hamburgh,  on  British  suggestion,  and  Robert  Em- 
met returned  from  his  brother's  side,  to  make  an  inef- 
fectual attempt  at  insurrection,  and  to  perish,  at  the 
age  of  twenty-five,  on  the  scaffold.  A  few  years  after- 
wards, Thomas  Addis  Emmet,  then  the  leader  of  the  New 
York  Bar,  by  a  striking  narration  of  this  circumstance, 
raised  a  feeling  in  America,  against  Mr.  King,  (then  a 
candidate  for  the  vice-presidency,)  which  politically  ex- 
tinguished that  able,  but  aristocratic,  statesman.f 


*  Administration  of  Adams,  p.  382. 

f  These  letters,  from  the  New  York  Evening  Post,  are  reprinted  in  Mad- 
den's  "  Memoir  of  T.  A.  Emmet." 


8 


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.i 


CHAPTEK   XIII. 


s. 


JEFFERSON,  FBESIDENT  —  THE  REFUGEES  OF  1798  —  SAMPSON  AND  MACNEVIN  — 
T.  A.  EMMET — THE  BROTHERS  BINNS  —  BURR  AXD  BLENNERHASSETT  —  THB 
RIGHT  OF  SEARCH  —  MADISON,  PRESIDENT — JOHN  SMILIE,  UNITED  STATES 
SENATOR WAR. 

In  1801,  Jefferson,  as  President,  and  Aaron  Burr,  as 
Vice-President,  were  elected  to  the  seats  of  Adams  and 
Pinckney.  In  the  ensuing  session  of  Congress,  a  bill  for 
repealing  the  Alien  and  Sedition  laws  was  introduced  by 
John  Smilie,  passed,  and  approved.  Some  other  evidences 
of  a  total  change  of  policy  were  had.  All  the  New  Eng- 
land states,  as  they  are  called,  voted  for  Adams  ;  New 
York,  Pennsylvania,  and  Virginia,  held  the  balance,  and 
decided  for  Jefferson. 

The  United  Irishmen  in  British  prisons,  or  in  European 
exile,  perceiving  tlus  change  of  parties,  applied  for  pass- 
ports to  the  new  American  ministers  abroad,  and  received 
them.  Thomas  Addis  Emmet  and  i)r.  McNevin  came 
to  New  York,  where  they  were  soon  after  joined  by 
William  Sampson.  The  son  of  Wolfi  Tone  entered  the 
topographical  service  of  the  United  ISLates.  John  Cald- 
well settled  on  a  farm  beside  the  Hudson.  Dr.  Sweetman 
made  his  home  in  Georgia ;  and  the  brothers  Binns  located 
at  Philadelphia.  The  influence  of  these  men  upon  the 
policy  of  America,  and  the  fortunes  of  their  poorer  coun- 
trymen, was,  during  their  time,  most  salutary. 

William  Sampson  was  a  barrister  of  fine  attainments, 
great  humor,  and  unconquerable  buoyancy  of  mind.  He 
was  a  native  of  Londonderry,  and  had  reached  his  fortieth 
year,  when,  in  1807,  he  settled  in  New  York.  Here  he 
renewed  his  professional  practice,  and  soon  became  dis- 
tinguished at  the  Bar.  In  1808,  ho  published  a  collec- 
tion of  his   miscblJaneous  writing',  chiefly  cuUed  from 


IRISH   SETTLERS   IN   NORTH  AMERICA. 


01 


«'  The  Press"  and  "  Star,"  the  United  Irish  organs.  To 
these  he  added,  in  subsequent  editions,  some  sketches 
of  American  society,  admirable  for  their  wit  and  pathos. 
The  book,  though  a  mere  collection  of  disjecta  membra, 
became  a  great  favorite  with  the  public,  as  did  the  au- 
thor, in  person,  with  all  those  whose  acquaintance  he 
made. 

M'Nevin,  a  native  of  Galway  and  a  Eoman  Catholic, 
had  represented  Gort  in  the  first  Catholic  Board.  He 
also  was  in  the  prime  of  life,  an  accomplished  chemist 
and  physician.  After  becoming  a  citizen,  he  joined  with 
the  Federal,  or  Whig,  party,  and  continued  for  nearly 
half  a  century  to  exercise  much  soc*  nfluence  in  New 
York.  lie  was  '*  President  of  the  u^ids  of  Ireland," 
which  cooperated  with  the  Irish  Catholic  Association, 
and,  in  1834,  he  revived  the  society,  to  cooperate  with 
the  Repeal  agitation.  He  did  not  live  to  see  the  failure 
of  his  hopes,  in  this  last  respect.  His  "  Pieces  of  Irish 
History,"  is  his  sole  memorial  to  his  race,  on  this  conti- 
nent ;  as  yet,  he  has  no  other  monument.* 

The  most  distinguished  of  the  refugees  was  Thomas 
Addis  Emmet,  born  in  1764,  in  the  city  of  Cork.  Edu- 
cated at  Edinburgh,  he  had  for  class-fellows  Sir  James 
Mackintosh,  afterwards  Lord  Advocate  of  Scotland,  and 
Benjamin  Constant,  who  became  a  tribune  under  the 
French  Republic.  He  spent  three  years  in  Edinburgh, 
and  his  popularity  may  be  imagined  from  the  fact  that 
he  was  president  of  no  less  than  five  college  societies  at 
the  same  time.  Leaving  college,  he  visited  the  conti- 
nent, spending  two  years  on  his  tour.  He  observed  insti- 
tutions with  the  eye  of  a  philosopher,  and  analyzed  their 
conditions  with  the  keenness  of  a  politician. 

On  his  return  to  Ireland,  Mr.  Emmet  passed  through 
London,  where  he  met  his  old  school-fellow.  Mackintosh. 
In  their  conversation,  that  eminent  man  advised  him 
strongly  to  choose  law  as  his  profession,  assuring  him  that 

*  Some  funds  were  collected  in  New  York,  several  years  ago,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  erecting  a  monument  to  liis  memory,  and  placed  in  the  hands  of  Mr. 
Kobert  Emmet.     Probably  they  were  insufhcient. 


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92 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE 


III 


iiiii 


if  he  did  so  he  was  destined  to  rise.  On  his  return  to 
Dublin,  he  found  his  eldest  brother,  Temple,  dead,  and 
soon  after  entered  himself  as  a  law  student,  and,  in  1790, 
was  duly  admitted.  The  succeeding  year  he  prosecuted, 
on  behalf  of  James  Napper  Tandy,  the  lord-lieutenant 
and  council,  for  issuing  an  illegal  proclamation !  This 
bold  step  reminds  one  of  the  old  adage,  of  warring  with 
the  devil,  and  holding  the  court  in  his  own  dominions. 
Nothing  resulted  from  it  favorable  to  the  national  cause, 
except  the  evidence  of  Emmet's  legal  ability.  The  gov- 
ernment were  astonished  at  the  boldness,  the  research 
and  acuteness,  of  the  young  advocate  ;  and  a  proposition 
was  immediately  made  to  him  of  judicial  preferment; — 
but  this  he,  as  immediately,  declined. 

In  1804,  he  reached  New  York,  with  the  prestige  of 
defeat  heaA^  upon  him.  But  he  soon  made  his  powers 
felt  at  the  American  bar.  Story,  Sullivan,  Kent,  and 
Jones,  his  •contemporaries,  have  spoken  enthusiastically 
of  his  virtues  and  abilities. 

His  style  of  pleading  is  well  described  by  Charles 
GIi<idon  Haines,  of  New  Hampshire  —  himself  an  emi- 
nent lawyer  —  in  his  biographical  sketch  of  Mr.  Em- 
met :  — 

"  Helvetius  remarks,"  says  Haines,  "  that  the  sun  of 
glory  only  shines  upon  the  tomb  of  greatness.  His  ob- 
servation is  too  often  true,  but  facts  and  living  proofs 
sometimes  contradict  it.  Mr.  Emmet  walks  on  in  life, 
amid  the  eulogiums,  the  admiration,  and  the  enthusiastic 
regard  of  a  great  and  enlightened  community.  Without 
the  glare  and  influence  of  public  office,  without  titles  and 
dignities,  who  fills  a  wider  space,  who  commands  more 
respect,  than  Thomas  Addis  Emmet  ?  Like  a  noble  and 
simple  column,  he  stands  among  us  proudly  preeminent, 
—  destitute  of  pretensions,  destitute  of  vanity,  and  des- 
titute of  envy.  In  a  letter  which  I  recently  received 
from  a  friend  who  resides  in  the  western  part  of  the 
Union,  a  lawyer  of  eminence,  he  speaks  of  the  New  York 
bar.  *  Thomas  Addis  Emmet,*  says  he,  *  is  the  great 
luminary,  whose  light  even  crosses  the  western  mountains. 


IRISH   SETTLERS   IN   NORTH   AMERICA. 


93 


His  name  rings  down  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi,  and 
we  hail  his  efforts  with  a  kind  of  local  pride.* 

"If  to  draw  the  character  of  Homer  needs  the  genius 
of  the  immortal  bard  himself ;  if  to  portray  the  powers  of 
Demosthenes  requires  the  gigantic  intellect  of  the  great 
Athenian  orator,  Mr.  Emmet  has  nothing  to  expect  from 
me.  In  presenting  the  features  of  his  mind,  I  shall  de- 
scribe them  from  the  impressions  they  make  on  me.  I 
paint  from  the  original.  I  catch  the  lineaments  of  the 
subject  as  living  nature  presents  them. 

**  The  mind  of  Thomas  Addis  Emmet  is  of  the  highest 
order.  His  penetration  is  deep,  his  views  comprehen- 
sive, his  distinctions  remarkably  nice.  His  powers  of 
investigation  are  vigorous  and  irresistible.  If  there  be 
anything  in  a  subject,  he  will  go  to  the  bottom.  He 
probes  boldly,  reaches  the  lowest  depths  by  his  researches, 
analyzes  everything,  and  embraces  the  whole  ground. 
He  may  be  said  to  have  a  mind  well  adapted  to  profound 
and  powerful  investigation.  In  the  next  place,  he  has 
great  comprehension.  He  sees  a  subject  in  all  its  bear- 
ings and  relations.  He  traces  out  all  its  various  opera- 
tions. He  begins  at  the  centre,  and  diverges  until  it 
becomes  necessary  again  to  return  to  the  centre.  As  a 
reasoner,  —  a  bare,  strict  reasoner,  —  Mr.  Emmet  would 
always  be  placed  in  an  elevated  rank.  No  matter  how 
dry,  how  difficult,  how  repulsive,  the  topic  ;  no  matter 
what  may  be  its  intricacies  and  perplexities,  if  any  man 
can  unfold  and  amplify  it,  he  is  equal  to  the  task. 


# 


# 


# 


* 


^ 


"  I  have  spoken  of  his  talent  for  deep  and  rigid  inves- 
tigation. I  will  now  again  recur  to  another  feature  of  his 
mind,  —  his  talent  for  reasoning  on  whatever  data  or 
premises  he  relies  on.  All  the  illustrations,  and  all  the 
analogies,  which  can  well  occur  to  the  mind,  are  readily 
and  adroitly  arranged  in  his  arguments.  He  makes  the 
most  of  his  (;ause,  and  often  makes  too  much,  —  giving  a 
front  that  is  so  palpably  over-formidable,  that  men  of  the 
plainest  sense  perceive  the  fruits  of  a  powerful  mind, 
without  being  at  all  convinced." 


A  fflSTORY  OP  THE 


ii-;.' 


Thus  spoke  an  American  of  his  mind.     Hear  now  an 
Irishman,  on  the  qualities  of  his  heart :  — 

"  In  men  who  are  *  fit  for  treason,  stratagem,  and 
spoils,'  the  passions  and  mental  qualities  we  expect  to 
find  are  ambition,  vanity,  malignity,  restlessness,  or  reck- 
lessness of  mind.  Were  these  the  characteristics  of  T. 
A.  Emmet  ?  The  question,  with  perfect  safety  to  the 
memory  of  Emmet,  might  be  put  to  any  surviving  polit- 
ical opponent  of  his,  of  common  honesty,  who  was  acT 
quainted  with  those  times,  and  the  men  who  were  prom- 
inent actors  in  them.  Emmet's  ambition  was  to  see  his 
country  well  governed,  and  its  people  treated  like  human 
beings,  destined  and  capacitated  for  the  enjoyment  of 
civil  and  religious  freedom.  For  himself  he  sought  no 
preeminence,  no  popular  applause ;  he  shrunk  from 
observation  where  his  merits,  in  spite  of  his  retiring 
habits,  forced  them  into  notice.  No  man  could  say  that 
Emmet  was  ambitious. 

"  Emmet's  vanity  was  of  a  peculiar  kind.  He  was 
vain  of  nothing  but  his  name  ;  it  was  associated  with  the 
brightest  of  the  by-gone  hopes  of  Irish  genius,  and  with 
the  fairest  promises  of  the  revival  of  the  latter  in  the 
dawning  powers  of  a  singularly  gifted  brother.  No  man 
could  say,  with  truth,  that  vanity  or  selfishness  was  the 
mental  infirmity  of  Euunet. 

**  No  malignant  act  was  ever  imputed  to  him.  The 
natural  kindness  of  his  disposition  was  manifested  in  his 
looks,  in  his  tone  of  voice.  Those  who  came  in  contact 
with  him  felt  that  his  benignity  of  disposition,  his  purity 
of  heart  and  mind  were  such, '  and  the  elements  so  mixed 
in  him,  that  nature  might  stand  up  and  say  to  all  the 
world,  this  was  a  man.'  Malignity  and  Emmet  were  as 
dissimilar  in  nature  as  in  name."  * 

He  died  of  paralysis,  which  seized  him  in  court,  in 
182G,  and  the  finest  cenotaph  in  the  Union  marks  where 
his  body  is  laid,  in  Saint  Paul's  churchyard,  New  York. 
Montgomery's  ashes  repose  in  the  same  ground. 


*  Haines'  Sketch  of  Thomas  Addis  Emmet.    Madden's  United  Irishmen. 


IRISH   SETTLERS   IN   NORTH   AMERICA. 


95 


The  brothers,  John  and  Benjamin  Binns,  settled  at  Phil- 
adelphia. They  were  natives  of  Dublin,  of  the  Moravian 
Church.  Both  were  educated  men,  and  early  devoted 
their  talents  to  the  cause  of  human  liberty.  In  1 7  9  8 ,  John 
was  tried  at  Maidstone,  with  Arthur  O'Connor  and  Father 
Coigley,  for  treason.  The  evidence  against  all  but  Coigley 
being  deemed  insufficient,  he  was  executed,  and  the  rest 
escaped.  Soon  after,  John  Binns  was  rearrested  for  trea- 
sonable practices,  and  confined  to  Gloucester  jail.  Here 
he  remained  for  nearly  three  years,  and,  in  1801,  was 
permitted  to  come  to  this  country.  In  March,  1802,  we 
find  him  publishing  the  "  Republican  Argus,"  at  North- 
umberland, Pa.,  and,  in  1807,  he  issued,  in  Philadelphia, 
"  The  Democratic  Press,"  for  several  years  the  most  in- 
fluential party  organ  in  the  Union.  For  twenty  years 
he  has  filled  the  office  of  alderman  of  that  city,  where  he 
survives  at  a  patriarchal  age,  in  the  enjoyment  of  all  his 
fine  mental  powers.* 

Aaron  Burr,  failing  of  a  reelection  in  1805,  engaged 
in  the  conspiracy  to  separate  the  Southern  States  from  the 
Union,  which  has  made  his  name  so  peculiarly  memora- 
ble. In  this  {^ttempt,  he  deeply  compromised  Mr.  Her- 
man Blennerhassett,  a  native  of  Kerry,  Ireland,  who  had 
purchased  an  island  in  the  Mississippi,  and  there  retired 
with  an  elegant  and  lovely  lady,  led  the  life  of  an  ux- 
orious philosopher.  Burr,  gifted  beyond  most  men  with 
the  fascinating  powers  of  persuasion,  not  only  seduced  the 
citizen  from  his  duty,  but  the  wife  from  her  continence.  In 
the  memorable  state  trial  of  1807,  Blennerhassett,  though 
true  bills  were  found  against  him,  was  acquitted ;  but  he 
returned  to  a  desolate  and  dishonored  home.  She,  who 
had  given  the  enchantment  to  his  island,  was  fled  ;  fled 
with  the  very  "  friend"  for  whom  he  had  risked  life  and 
forfeited  fortune.  • 

"  The  trail  of  the  serpent  was  over  it  all." 

The  experience  of  Herman  Blennerhassett  should  be  for- 

*  For  details  of  the  eventful  and  interesting  life  of  Mr.  Binns,  see  Amer- 
ican Celt,  vol.  ii..  No.  la.     (Boston,  1851.) 


96 


A   HISTORY  OP   THE 


ever  a  warning  to  those  who  are  tempted  by  plausible 
Bpeculators,  to  violate  the  laws  of  their  country  or  the 
duties  of  their  citizenship.* 

Under  Jefferson's  second  presidency,  George  Clinton, 
of  New  York,  was  Vice-President.  The  Tripoli  War 
ended  in  a  satisfactory  peace,  Ohio  was  admitted  as  a  state, 
and  Louisiana,  lately  purchased  from  the  French,  taken 
into  the  Union.  Towards  the  close  of  Jefferson's  second 
term,  **  the  right  of  search,"  in  a  few  instances  exercised 
by  French,  and  in  many  by  English,  ships,  became  the 
great  foreign  question  ;  but  it  was  reserved  for  his  pred- 
ecessor to  settle  that  dispute. 

In  1808,  Madison  succeeded  to  the  presidency,  and 
for  three  years  exhausted  negotiation  in  attempts  at  a 
peaceable  solution.  Between  1803  and  1810  nine  hun- 
dred American  ships  had  been  seized,  searched,  or  de- 
tained. In  1811,  Madison  sent  his  "war  message"  to 
Congress,  the  army  was  raised  to  35,000  men,  the  navy 
equipped  for  active  service,  and  a  loan  of  $11,000,000 
raised  for  the  purposes  of  the  war.  In  February,  1812, 
John  Henry  communicated  to  the  President  that,  in  1809, 
he  had  been  employed,  by  the  governor  of  Canada,  in  a 
secret  intrigue  to  separate  New  England  from  the  Union. 
The  documents  connected  with  Henry's  disclosure  stim- 
ulated the  war  spirit,  and  in  February,  1812,  hostilities 
actually  commenced.  General  Dearborn,  of  Massachu- 
setts, was  appointed  commander-in-chief;  Pinckney, 
major  general ;  and  AVilkinson,  Hull,  Hampton,  and 
Bloomfield,  the  first  brigadiers. 

The  chairman  of  the  Senate  committee  on  foreign 
affairs,  at  this  time,  was  John  Smilie,  a  native  of  Ire- 
land. He  was  born  in  Newtownards,  County  Down,  and 
had  fought  in  the  Revolutionary  War.  From  that  time, 
**  he  had  never  been  out  of  the  public  service,"  until  the 
hour  of  his  death.  lu  1802,  ho  had  brought  in  the  bill 
repealing  the  Adains  Alien  Law,  and,  iu  1812,  he  re- 

*  Bnrr  was  discharged  on  the  ground  that  the  evidence  was  insufficient. 
Mrs.  Blennerhassett,  his  victim,  died  some  tsliort  time  since,  in  New  York, 
in  great  poverty,  and  was  huried  by  the  charity  of  some  former  Irish  friends 


IRISH   SETTLERS  IN  NORTH  AMERICA. 


97 


:ney, 
and 


ported  a  bill  empowering  the  President  to  raise  a  tempo- 
rary army  for  the  war  with  Great  Britain.  On  the  last 
day  of  that  year,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four,  he  died  at 
Washington,  leaving  a  character,  second  to  none  of  his 
contemporaries,  for  fidelity  and  usefulness  in  the  public 
service. 

The  successor  of  John  Smilie  was  John  Caldwell 
Calhoun,  whose  province  it  was  to  vindicate  the  report  of 
his  venerable  predecessor.  Mr.  Calhoun  was  the  son  of 
Patrick  Calhoun,  an  emigrant  from  Donegal,  in  Ireland, 
to  South  Carolina,  born  March  18th,  1782.  At  that 
time  Mr.  Calhoun  was  in  the  meridian  of  his  fame,  and 
of  his  whole  powers  of  mind.  His  defence  of  the  war, 
in  reply  to  John  Randolph,  placed  him  among  the  first 
men  of  his  generation,  a  position  which  he  justly  held  till 
the  close  of  his  long  public  life. 

The  war  now  declared  should  necessarily  be  a  naval, 
cs  well  as  a  military,  struggle,  and  a  natural  anxiety  for 
the  result  thrilled  the  hearts  of  all  Americans,  on  receiv- 
ing the  **  war  message"  of  Madison. 

i  *  National  Intelligencer,  Dec.  31st,  1812. 

9 


m 


I!  ' 


rl 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

THE  IRISH  IN  THE  AMFRIOAN  NAVY  DURING  THE  WAR  OP  1812-15  —  ORIGIN  OP  THK 
WAR  —  CAPTAIN  BOYLE's  CRCISE  —  CAPTAIN  BLAEELT — COMMODORES  SHAW, 
HACDONOCOH,  AND  STEWART. 

The  war  had  its  origin  in  aggressions  which  had  become 
intolerable.  American  seamen  were  pressed  and  Ameri- 
can ships  searched  in  British  waters  and  on  the  high 
seas,  at  least  a  thousand  times,  before  President  Madison 
sent  his  "  war  message  "  to  Congress,  and  when  at  last 
war  was  proclaimed,  the  favorite  motto  of  many  a  ship 
was  "  Free  Trade  and  Sailors'  Rights." 

The  West  Indian  waters,  being  the  confine  of  the  two 
fleets,  was  the  scene  of  some  of  the  first  and  fiercest  of 
the  sea-fights  of  this  war.  One  of  the  most  memorable 
of  these  was  the  action  fought  between  Captain  Boyle's 
ship,  the  Comet,  (twelve  guns  and  one  hundred  and 
twenty  men,)  and  three  British  vessels,  convoyed  by  a 
Portuguese  ship-of-war.  The  Portuguese  ship  carried 
twenty  thirty-two  pounders  ;  the  British,  twenty  guns 
between  them.  By  superior  sailing  and  manoeuvring, 
the  Comet  cut  oft'  the  British  ships,  and  disabled  them 
one  by  one.  Two  of  them  he  carried  as  prizes  into  Per- 
nambuco,  tlic  third  foundered,  and  the  Portuguese  re- 
treated under  cover  of  the  night.  On  the  same  cruise, 
Captain  Boyle  captured  the  British  ship  Aberdeen,  of 
eight  guns,  and  two  others  of  ten  guns  each.  He  then 
returned  to  the  United  States,  escaped  the  British  squad- 
ron in  the  Chesapeake,  and  reached  Baltimore  in  safety. 
Captain  Boyle  was  of  Irish  birth,  but  his  after  career  is 
unknown  to  us.* 

An  Irishman,  Captain  Leavins,  of  the  trading  schooner 
Santee,  of  Charleston,  being  captured  at  sea,  in  August, 
was  sent  in  his  own  vessel,  under  charge  of  a  British 

•  «'  Sketches  of  the  Late  War,"  (Rutland,  Vt.,)  1815,  p.  330. 


IRISH   SETTLERS   IN  NORTH   AMERICA. 


99 


guns 

•ring, 

them 

Per- 


crew,  to  Bermuda.  Rising  singly  on  them  at  night,  he 
wounded  two  badly,  and  compelled  the  other  three  to 
work  the  vessel  back  to  Charleston,  where  he  arrived 
amid  universal  acclamations.* 

Captain  Johnston  Blakely  was  born  in  Seaford,  County 
Down,  Ireland,  in  October,  1781.  His  father  soon  after 
emigrated  to  this  country;  but  in  South  Carolina,  the 
family  died,  one  by  one,  leaving  young  Blakely  alone 
in  the  world.  While  at  school,  in  1799,  the  orphan  had 
the  addi!:ional  misfortune  to  lose  the  remnant  of  property 
left  him,  and,  in  1800,  a  friend  of  his  family  procured  him 
a  midshipman's  warrant.  In  1813,  he  served  in  the 
Enterprise,  and,  in  the  beginning  of  1814,  was  promoted 
to  the  command  of  the  Wasp.  Soon  after,  he  fell  in 
with  the  British  ship  Reindeer,  in  latitude  48°  36'  north, 
and,  after  an  action  of  nineteen  minutes,  captured  her. 
The  American  loss  was  twenty-one  killed  and  wounded, 
the  British,  sixty-seven.  In  August,  1814,  he  captured 
a  British  merchant-ship  under  convoy,  and,  on  the  first 
of  September,  the  Avon  also  struck  her  flag  to  him. 
Before  he  could  take  possession  of  the  Avon,  a  fresh 
British  ship  arrived,  and  Blakely,  whose  ship  was  some- 
what damaged,  was  obliged  to  sheer  off.  This  is  the  last 
authentic  account  of  him.  Ilis  ship  was  spoken  off  the 
Azores,  and  was  supposed  to  have  foun  lered  at  sea. 
All  else  is  only  conceit  and  conjecture.  But  whatever 
may  have  been  the  fate  of  Blakely,"  says  Dr.  Frost, 
"  this  much  is  certain,  that  he  will,  to  use  his  own  ex- 
pression, '  be  classed  among  those  names  that  stand  so 
high.'  The  lustre  of  his  exploits,  not  less  than  the  inter- 
est excited  by  those  who  remember  how,  in  his  very  boy- 
hood, he  was  left,  without  a  single  being  around  him  with 
whom  he  could  claim  kindred  blood,  —  how,  by  his  merit, 
he  obtained  friends,  and  conferred  honor  on  that  country 
which  was  not  only  his  parent,  but  has  become  the  parent 
of  his  only  child,  —  and  how,  last  of  all,  he  perished, 
—  Grod  only  knows  where  and  how,  —  has  all  given  to 


i 


*  "  Sketches  of  the  Late  War,"  p.  441. 


100 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE 


ill 


I.I 


i;    I 


his  character,  his  history,  his  achievements,  and  his  fate, 
a  romantic  interest,  marking  the  name  of  Blakely  for 
lasting  and  affectionate  remembrance."*  '  ' 

One  more  fact  (and  it  is  a  great  one)  we  have  to  con- 
nect with  his  name.  The  Legislature  of  North  Carolina, 
in  December,  1816,  "  Resolved  unanimously.  That  Cap- 
tain Blakely's  child  be  educated  at  the  expense  of  this 
state  ;  and  that  Mrs.  Blakely  be  requested  to  draw  on 
the  treasurer  of  this  state,  from  time  to  time,  for  such 
sums  of  money  as  shall  be  required  for  the  education  of 
the  said  child." 

John  Shaw,  a  native  of  Mountmellick,  emigrated  in 
1790  to  Philadelphia,  being  then  seventeen  years  of  age. 
In  1798,  in  the  quasi  French  war,  he  was  appointed  to 
command  the  armed  schooner  Enterprise,  with  a  crew  of 
seventy-six  men.  In  six  months,  his  schooner  captured 
eight  French  privateers,  or  letters  of  marque.  In  1801, 
peace  was  concluded  with  the  French  Directory,  and  Mr. 
Shaw  retired  with  the  grade  and  half-pay  of  lieutenant. 
In  1806,  when  Burr  was  fitting  out  his  secret  expedition 
in  the  Upper  Mississippi,  he  got  command  of  the  United 
States  flotilla  before  Natchez,  and,  when  that  conspiracy 
exploded,  was  appointed  by  Jefferson  to  the  command 
of  the  navy  yard  at  Norfolk,  Virginia,  with  the  rank  of 
post-captain.  In  the  war  of  1812,  he  ranked  as  commo- 
dore, and  commanded,  for  a  year,  the  United  States 
squadron  in  the  Mediterranean.  After  the  war,  he  had 
charge  of  the  navy  yard  at  Charlestown,  and  died  in  Sep- 
tember, 1823,  at  Philadelphia.  Mr.  Fenimore  Cooper 
speaks  of  him  as  **  second  to  none  on  the  list  of  gallant 
seamen  with  which  the  present  navy  of  the  Republic 
commenced  its  brilliant  career,"  —  as  personally,  **a 
man  of  fine  presence,  beloved  by  those  who  served  under 
him." 

Thomas  McDonough,  brother  to  James,  mentioned  in 
the  war  of  Independence,  was  distinguished  in  1805,  in 
the  attack  on  Tripoli.     He  was  the  second  man  to  board 


*  Frost's  Lives  of  the  Commodores,  p.  373. 


«f> 


'■>"■■'   '-'':&     -^ 


it 


a 


IRISH   SETTLERS   IN   NORTH   AMERICA. 


101 


the  Turkish  frigate  with  Stephen  Decatur,  who  was,  by 
his  mother,  half  Irish.  He  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
first  lieutenant  of  the  Siren,  and,  in  1806,  displayed  great 
spirit  at  Gibraltar  in  retaking,  out  of  the  British  boats, 
some  impressed  American  seamen.  In  1812,  he  was 
ordered  to  Lake  Champlain,  and  in  1814,  the  British 
ships  built  on  the  Canadian  side  being  ready  for  a  descent 
on  New  York,  he  prepared  to  meet  them.  McDonough 
had  under  him  the  Saratoga,  twenty-six  guns ;  the 
Eagle,  twenty ;  Ticonderoga,  seventeen ;  the  Preble, 
seven ;  and  ten  galleys  with  sixteen  guns,  —  in  all, 
eighty-six.  The  British  force  mounted  ninety-five  guns, 
headed  by  the  frigate  Confiance,  a  powerful  ship.  On 
the  eleventh  of  September,  the  two  fleets  met  at  eight  in 
the  morning,  and  at  noon  McDonough  was  completely 
victorious,  having  taken  the  frigate,  and  captured  or  sunk 
all  the  remaining  vessels,  with  the  exception  of  some 
small  galleys  which  escaped.  New  York  and  Vermont 
voted  to  the  victor  large  tracts  of  land,  and  Congress 
caused  a  gold  medal  to  be  struck  in  honor  of  the  event. 
He  married  and  settled  in  Middletown,  Connecticut, 
where  he  died  of  consumption,  in  1825.  His  grave  is  in 
the  little  cemetery  of  that  quiet  town,  and  the  river  of 
"steady  habits"  flows  soothingly  before  the  resting- 
place  of  the  commodore. 

Commodore  Charles  Stewart  was  born  of  Irish  parents 
in  Philadelphia,  July  28th,  1718,  and  was  the  fourth  com- 
modore that  Ireland  gave  to  America.  In  1798,  he  en- 
tered the  service  as  lieutenant  to  Commodore  Barry,  and 
distinguished  himself,  in  1800,  in  the  quasi  French  war. 
In  the  West  Indian  Avaters,  Stewart  captured  several 
French  craft,  and  in  1802,  was  made  commander  of  the 
Siren.  Like  Decatur  and  McDonough,  he  won  his  first 
laurels  at  Tripoli,  and  his  chief  reputation  in  the  war  of 
1812-15 ;  having  got  charge  of  the  Constitution  in  1813, 
and  the  same  year  destroyed  the  British  brig  Pictou,  and 
schooners  Catherine  and  Phoenix,  in  the  West  Indies. 
In  1814,  his  ship  being  refitted,  he  captured,  off*  the  Ber- 
mudas, the  Lord  Nelson ;  oft'  Lisbon,  the  Susan  ;  and  in 

9*  - 


ji 


ii:i 


102 


HIBTORT   OF   THE   IRISH    SETTLERS,   ETC. 


Febraary,  1815,  in  the  West  Indies,  took,  in  the  same 
f  igagement,  the  British  Ship  Cyane  of  thirty-four,  and 
Levant  of  twenty-one  guns.  Honors  were  showered  upon 
him,  on  his  return  home,  and  the  various  states  vied  with 
each  other  in  their  presentations.  From  that  period  he 
has  been  employed,  as  Barry  was  before  him,  in  superin- 
tending the  'construction  of  new  ships,  at  Philadelphia, 
Norfolk  and  elsewhere.  The  love  of  Ireland,  which  he 
has  so  often  manifested,  seems  likely  to  be  hereditary  m 
his  family.* 

Among  the  officers  of  the  second  rank,  in  this  war, 
Decatur  bestowed  especial  praise  on  Lieutenant  Gallagher, 
and  Perry,  on  Purser  McGrath,  who  commanded  the  armed 
Brig  "  Caledonia,"  in  the  memorable  battle  of  Lake  Erie. 
In  the  same  engagement  Lieutenant  Conklin  gave  satis- 
faction, as  commander  of  the  schooner  "Tigress." 

The  total  number  of  British  vessels  captured  during 
this  war  was  1551 — an  unanswerable  proof  of  the  bravery, 
skill,  and  activity,  of  the  American  naval  commanders. 

*  His  daughter,  married  in  Ireland,  is  the  author  of  some  fine  Irish  poetry. 


il  ! 


li 


i'li'i 


ex 

Ail- 


CHAPTER    XV. 


THE  WAR  BT  LAND  —  BATTLES  ON  THE  NORTHERN  FRONTIER  —  MASON  —  O'NEALE  — 
I.ANDINO  or  GENERAL  ROSS  —  TREATMENT  OF  NATURALIZED  CltlZENS  TAKEN  IS 
ARMS  —  SUCCESSES  OF  ROSS  —  ANDREW  JACKSON  ON  THE  MISSISSIPPI HIS  CA- 
REER AND  CHARACTER  —  BATTLE  OF  NEW  ORLEANS  —  PEACE. 

The  campaigns  of  1812  and  1813  were  chiefly  fought 
on  the  Canadian  frontier.  Among  the  militia  which 
appeared  on  the  American  border,  many  sons  of  Ireland 
gained  distinction.  The  names  of  Brady,  MuUany 
McKeon,  Croghan,  rank  after  those  of  Scott,  Brown, 
and  Wool,  for  services  performed  on  that  theatre  of  war, 
where,  however,  the  greatest  achievement  effected  was 
the  successful  defence  of  American  territory  from  inva- 
sion. The  defeat  of  Hull,  and  surrender  of  Detroit, 
were  more  than  compensated  by  the  brilliant  victories  of 
Chippewa,  Bridgewater,  and  Plattsburg ;  and  the  work 
of  security  was  completed  by  the  utter  defeat  of  Tecum- 
seh  and  his  Anglo-Indian  forces,  at  the  battle  of  the 
Thames,  in  the  territory  of  Michigan. 

This  action,  fought  in  October,  1813,  was  the  last  and 
most  complete  defeat  of  the  savages  of  the  north-western 
lakes.  Tecumseh  was  supposed  to  have  fallen  by  the 
hands  of  Colonel  Johnson,  of  Kentucky  ;  but  that  vet- 
eran soldier  has  himself  said,  that  all  he  could  say  was, 
when  attacked  by  the  chief,  he  fired,  ard  when  the  smoke 
cleared  away,  the  Indian  lay  dead  before  him.  The  pop- 
ular account  attributes  the  deadly  aim  and  wound  to 
one  Mason,  a  native  of  the  county  of  Wexford,  Ireland, 
who,  though  a  grandfather,  aged  four-score,  volunteered 
Aiis  services  in  that  expedition.  He  had  been  an  old 
revolutionary  soldier,  and  fought  in  the  ranks  with  his 
own  sons,  themselves  men  of  middle  age.* 

*  In  a  cotemporaneous  view  of  the  battle,  he  is  represented  as  firing  at 
Tecumseh,  over  Colonel  Johnson's  shoulder,  with  a  rifle,  while  Johnson  is 
discharging  a  pistol. 


'  ia«MK*te«.. 


104 


A   HISTORY   OF   THE 


jn* 


iill'V. 
■ill  '^< 


i 


I  I 


:. 


The  British  "  naval  operations,"  on  the  northern  coast, 
having  signally  failed,  some  of  the  invading  force  were 
directed  to  attempt  the  shore  of  the  Chesapeake,  and  to 
penetrate  to  Washington.  In  May,  1813,  four  hundred 
men  were  despatched  from  Warren's  fleet  to  burn  the 
town  of  Havre  de  Grace,  Maryland.  The  few  militia  in 
the  place  abandoned  it ;  but  John  O'Neale  and  two  others 
worked  a  small  battery  with  deadly  effect.  The  enemy 
having  effected  a  landing,  these  humble  Horatii  retreated 
to  the  nail  factory,  and  continued  a  destructive  musketry 
fire  on  those  vvho  approached.  A  party  of  marines  finally 
captured  O'Neale,  who  was  carried  prisoner  on  board  the 
Maidstone  frigate.  He  would  have  been  instantly  exe- 
cuted but  for  the  vigorous  interference  of  General  Mil- 
ler, who  threatened  to  execute  two  British  prisoners,  in 
retaliation,  if  his  life  were  taken. 

During  this  war  such  threats  alone  could  have  saved 
the  naturalized  citizens,  formerly  British  subjects,  when 
taken  in  arms.  A  proclamation,  dated  October  26th, 
1812,  and  signed  by  the  Prince  Regent,  (George  IV.,) 
distinctly  announced  that  all  such  prisoners  would  be 
treate<l  as  "  rebels"  in  arms  against  their  sovereign.  In 
February,  1813,  the  naturalized  citizens  of  Philadelphia, 
through  Alderman  John  Binns,  chairman  of  their  meeting, 
drew  the  attention  oC  President  Madison  to  this  declara- 
tion. Tliis  memorial  was  answered  by  the  President,  as 
follows  :  — 

"Washington,  Feb.  11,  1813. 

' '  Gentlemen ,  —  I  hjive  received  your  communication  in 
behalf  of  the  naturalized  citizens  in  and  near  Philadel- 
phia, who  were  burn  within  the  British  dominions ;  occa- 
sioned by  the  proclamation  of  the  Prince  Regent  of  Great 
Britain,  dated  the  2Gth  of  October  last,  and  by  other 
indications  of  a  purpose  of  sul)jecting  to  the  penalties  of 
British  law,  such  of  that  description  of  citizens  as  sliall 
have  been  taken  in  arms  agidnst  Great  Britain. 

"As  the  British  laws  and  practice  confer  all  the  rights 
and  immunities  of  natural-born  subjects  on  aliens  serving 
even  a  short  period  on   board  British  vessels,  it  ndglit 


n 


IRISH   SETTLERS   IN   NORTH   AMERICA. 


105 


rn  coast, 
rce  were 
I,  and  to 
hundred 
)urn  the 
(lilitia  in 
vo  others 
3  enemy 
•etreated 
ausketry 
Bs  finally 
oard  the 
tly  exe- 
ral  Mil- 
mers,  in 

e  saved 
;s,  when 
r  26th, 
?e  IV.,) 
ould  be 
?n.  In 
lelphia, 
leeting, 
leclara- 
lent,  as 

813. 

ation  in 
liladel- 
;  occa- 
f  Great 
other 
ties  of 
-s  sliall 


righta 

serving 

might 


have  been  concluded  that  an  intention  would  have  been 
neither  formed  nor  proclaimed,  by  the  head  of  that  nation, 
which  is  as  inconsistent  with  its  own  example  as  it  is 
repugnant  to  reason  and  humanity. 

*'The  rights  of  naturalized  citizens  being  under  the. 
same  guaranty  of  the  national  faith  and  honor  with  the 
rights  of  other  citizens,  the  former  may  be  assured  that 
it  is  the  determination,  as  it  will  be  the  duty,  of  the 
executive  department  of  the  government,  to  employ 
whatever  just  means  may  be  within  its  competency,  for 
enforcing  the  respect  which  is  due  from  the  enemy  to  the 
rights  and  persons  of  those  Avho  combat  under  the  ban- 
ners, and  in  defence  and  maintenance  of  the  rights  and 
safety,  of  their  adopted  country. 

*'  Accept  my  friendly  respects. 

"James  Madison.* 
"  To  John  Binns, 


William  Smiley, 
John  W.  Thompson, 
Francis  Mitchell, 
John  Maitland, 
George  Palmer, 


>  Esq'rs." 


The  decided  tone  of  Mr.  Madison's  letter  tended,  in  a 
great  measure,  to  save  the  lives  of  many  Irish-born  offi- 
cers and  men,  then  in  the  British  prisons  at  Quebec  and 
Halifax. 

The  most  painful  part  of  the  campaign  of  1814  was  the 
success  of  General  Ross,  who,  in  August,  landed  at  Ben- 
edict, inarched  on,  and  burned  Washington,  and  finally 
fell,  by  the  hand  of  a  patriotic  boy,  near  Baltimore,  after 
having  taken  and  sacked  that  city. 

But  the  thejitre  of  the  closing  campaign  was  now 
shifted  to  the  Mississippi.  On  the  first  of  December, 
1814,  Andrew  Jackson,  connnander-in-chief  of  the  seventh 
military  division  of  the  United  States,  arrived  at  New 
Orleans.  This  distinguished  man  was  then  in  the  forty- 
seventh  year  of  his  age,  and  had  already  acquired  abril- 

•  Printed  from  the  autograph,  presented  to  the  author  by  Mr.  Binni. 


106 


A  HISTORY  OF   THE 


liant  reputation.  Born  in  the  Waxhaw  settlement,  of 
Irish  parents,  at  thirteen  he  had  fought  and  been  wounded 
in  the  Revolutionary  contest.  His  mother,  an  extraordi- 
nary woman,  had  died,  a  victim  to  her  charity,  in  attend- 
ing the  prisoners  of  war,  in  the  prison-ship  at  Charleston ; 
his  father  died  when  he  was  a  child,  and  both  his  brothers 
had  fallen  bravely  in  battle.  At  man's  age  he  removed 
to  Tennessee,  with  Judge  McCay,  and  had  filled  succes- 
sively the  offices  of  representative,  senator,  judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court,  and  major  general  of  militia. 

His  military  reputation  was  founded  on  a  succession 
of  meritorious  actions.  He  had  subdued  the  Creek 
nation,  chased  their  British  and  Spanish  allies  into 
Florida,  captured  Pensacola,  and  given  his  eagles  air 
from  the  towers  of  Saint  Augustine  and  Saint  Mark. 
With  jealousy  at  Washington,  and  even  at  home,  without 
a  commissariat,  or  treasure,  he  had  carried  his  brave 
westerns  through  swamps,  wildernesses,  and  prairies,  had 
headed  them  in  assaulting  the  savage  warrior's  ambush, 
and  the  civilized  soldier's  cannon-guarded  fortress. 
Hitherto,  glory  had  been  his  shadow,  as  danger  had  been 
his  attraction,  and  patriotism  almost  his  sole  resource. 

In  his  Indian  wars,  Jackson  had  bred  up  Carroll,  Coffee, 
Higgins,  Armstrong,  Donaldson,  and  other  officers,  some 
of  whom  were  connected  with  him  by  family  ties,  and  all 
by  affection.*  The  greater  part  of  these  brave  men  were 
with  him  at  New  Orleans. 

He  found  that  important  city  almost  naked  of  defences. 
The  state  militia,  the  regulars  withdrawn  from  Florida, 
the  volunteers  from  Tennessee,  Mississippi,  and  Ken- 
tucky, gave  him  the  command  of  some  6,000  men,  while 
Packenham  (having  effected  a  landing  on  the  22nd  of 
December)  had  halted  within  seven  miles  of  the  city,  at 
the  head  of  14,000,  the  flower  of  the  old  Peninsular  army. 

The  following  is  a  description  of  the  battle  of  the  23rd 

*  In  hisdospalch  to  Major  General  Pinckney,  containiiijf  tlic  account  of  the 
battle  of  Emuckfaw,  27th  March,  1814,  Jackson  alludes  to  an  Irish  pioneer. 
"  The  militia  of  the  venerable  General  Doherty's  brigade,  (acted)  in  the 
charge,  with  a  vivacity  and  firmness  which  would  have  done  honor  to  regu- 
lars."—  Eaton's  Life  of  Jackson,  p.  85. 


IRISH   SETTLERS   IN   NORTH   AMERICA. 


107 


December,  as  detailed  to  President  Monroe  by  General 
Jackson  himself. 

"  The  loss  of  our  gun-boats  near  the  pass  of  the  Rigolets 
having  given  the  enemy  command  of  Lake  Borgne,  he 
was  enabled  to  choose  his  point  of  attack.  It  became, 
therefore,  an  object  of  importance  to  obstruct  the  numer- 
ous bayous  and  canals  leading  from  that  lake  to  the 
highlands  on  the  Mississippi.  This  important  service  was 
committed,  in  the  first  instance,  to  a  detachment  of  the 
seventh  regiment ;  afterwards  to  Col.  De  Laronde,  of  the 
Louisiana  militia,  and,  lastly,  to  make  all  sure  to  Major 
General  Villere,  commanding  the  district  between  the  river 
and  the  lakes,  and  who,  being  a  native  of  the  country,  was 
presumed  to  be  best  acquainted  with  all  those  passes. 
Unfortunately,  however,  a  picquet  which  the  general  had 
established  at  the  mouth  of  the  Bayou  Bienvenue,  and 
which,  notwithstanding  my  orders,  had  been  left  unob- 
structed, was  completely  surprised,  and  the  enemy  pene- 
trated through  a  canal  leading  to  a  farm,  about  two 
leagues  below  the  city,  and  succeeded  in  cutting  off  a 
company  of  militia  stationed  there.  This  intelligence  was 
communicated  to  me  about  twelve  o'clock  of  the  twenty- 
third.  My  force,  at  this  time,  consisted  of  parts  of  the 
seventh  and  forty-fourth  regiments,  not  exceeding  six 
hundred  together,  the  city  militia,  a  part  of  General  Cof- 
fee's brigade  of  mounted  gunmen,  and  the  detached 
militia  from  the  western  division  of  Tennessee,  under  the 
command  of  Major  General  Carroll.  These  two  last  corps 
were  stationed  four  miles  above  the  city.  Apprehending 
a  double  attack  by  the  way  of  Chief-Menteur,  I  left  Gen- 
eral Carroll's  force  and  the  militia  of  the  city  posted  on 
the  Gentilly  road  ;  and  at  five  o'clock,  P.  M.,  marched  to 
meet  the  enemy,  whom  I  was  resolved  to  attack  in  his 
first  position,  with  Major  Hinds'  dragoons.  General  Cof- 
fee's brigade,  parts  of  the  seventh  and  forty-fourth  regi- 
ments, the  uniformed  companies  of  militia,  under  the 
command  of  Major  Planche,  two  hundred  men  of  color, 
chiefly  from  St.  Domingo,  raised  by  Colonel  Savary,  and 
undfc^  the  command  of  Major  Dagwin,  and  a  detachment 


I 


■iiii: 


108 


A   HISTORY   OP   THE 


-<■  'ti**"^*  i 


of  artillery  under  the  direction  of  Colonel  M'Rhea,  with 
two  six-pounders,  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant 
Spotts  ;  not  exceeding,  in  all,  fifteen  hundred.  I  arrived 
near  the  enemy's  encampment  ahout  seven,  and  immedi- 
ately made  my  dispositions  for  the  attack.  His  forces, 
amounting  at  that  time  on  land  to  ahout  three  thousand, 
extended  half  a  mile  on  that  river,  and  in  the  rear  nearly 
to  the  wood.  General  Coffee  was  ordered  to  turn  their 
right,  while  with  the  residue  of  the  force  I  attacked  his 
strongest  position  on  the  left,  near  the  river.  Commodore 
Patterson,  having  dropped  down  the  river  in  the  schooner 
Caroline,  was  directed  to  open  a  fire  upon  their  camp, 
which  he  executed  at  ahout  half  past  seven.  This  heing 
a  signal  of  attack.  General  Coffee's  men,  with  their  usual 
impetuosity,  rushed  on  the  enemy's  right,  and  entered 
their  camp,  while  our  right  advanced  with  equal  ardor. 
There  can  he  but  little  doubt  that  we  should  have  suc- 
ceeded on  that  occasion,  with  our  inferior  force,  in  de- 
stroying or  capturing  the  enemy,  had  not  a  thick  fog, 
which  arose  about  eight  o'clock,  occasioned  some  confusion 
among  the  different  corps.  Fearing  the  consequence, 
under  this  circumstance,  of  the  further  prosecution  of  a 
night  attack,  with  troops  then  acting  together  for  the 
first  time,  I  contented  myself  with  lying  on  the  field  that 
night ;  and  at  four  in  the  morning  assumed  a  stronger 
position,  about  two  miles  nearer  the  city.  At  this  posi- 
tion I  remained  encamped,  waiting  the  arrival  of  the 
Kentucky  militia  and  other  reinforcements.  As  the 
safety  of  the  city  will  depend  on  the  fate  of  this  army,  it 
must  not  be  incautiously  exposed. 

**In  this  affair  the  whole  corps  under  my  command 
deserve  the  greatest  credit.  The  best  compliment  I  can 
pay  to  General  Coffee  and  his  brigade,  is  to  say,  they 
have  behaved  as  they  have  always  done  while  under  my 
command.  The  seventh,  led  by  Major  Pierre,  and  forty- 
fourth,  commanded  by  Colonel  Ross,  distinguished  them- 
selves. The  battalion  of  city  militia,  comnianded  by 
Major  Planche,  reaUzed  my  anticipations,  and  behaved 
like  veterans.      Savary's  volunteers  manifested    great 


IRISH   SETTLERS   IN  NORTH   AMERICA. 


109 


bravery;  and  the  company  of  city  riflemen,  having 
penetrated  into  the  midst  of  the  enemy's  camp,  were 
surrounded,  and  fought  theii  way  out  with  the  greatest 
heroism,  bringing  with  them  a  number  of  prisoners.  The 
two  field-pieces  were  well  served  by.  the  ofl&cers  com- 
manding them. 

"  All  my  ofl&cers  in  the  line  did  their  duty,  and  I  have 
every  reason  to  be  satisfied  with  the  whole  of  my  field 
and  staff.  Colonels  Butler  and  Piatt,  and  Major  Chotard, 
by  their  intrepidity,  saved  the  artillery.  Colonel  Haynes 
was  everywhere  that  duty  or  danger  called.  I  was  de- 
prived of  the  services  of  one  of  my  aids,  Captain  Butler, 
whom  I  was  obliged  to  station,  to  his  great  regret,  in 
town.  Captain  Reid,  my  other  aid,  and  Messrs.  Livings- 
ton, Duplissis,  and  Davezac,  who  had  volunteered  their 
services,  faced  danger  wherever  it  was  to  be  met,  and 
carried  my  orders  with  the  utmost  promptitude. 
*■  <«"We  made  one  major,  two  subalterns,  and  sixty -three 
* 'privates,  prisoners  ;  and  the  enemy's  loss,  in  killed  and 

wounded,  must  have  been  at  least .     My  own  loss  I 

have  not  as  yet  been  able  to  ascertain  with  exactness,  but 
sappose  it  to  amount  to  one  hundred  in  killed,  wounded, 
and  missing.  Among  the  former,  I  have  to  lament  the 
^  loss  of  Colonel  Lauderdale,  of  General  Coffee's  brigade, 
''•^who  fell  while  bravely  fighting.  Cols.  Dyer  and  Gibson, 
"?of  the  same  corps,  were  wounded,  and  Major  Kavenaugh 
"taken  prisoner. 

^.  **Col.  De  Laronde,  Major  Villere,  of  the  Louisiana 
militia,  Major  Latour  of  Engineers,  having  no  command, 
volunteered  their  services,  as  did  Drs.  Kerr  and  Hood, 
and  were  of  great  assistance  to  me." 

On  the  28th  December,  and  1st  of  January,  the  enemy 
again  stormed  his  cotton  breast- works,  and  were  again 
repulsed.  On  the  8th  the  memorable  battle  was  fought, 
'  which  established  a  second  time,  American  Independence. 
"  **  On  the  seventh,  a  general  movement  and  bustle  in  the 
"  British  camp  indicated  that  the  contemplated  attack  waa 
^  about  to  be  made.  Everything  in  the  American  encamp- 
^  toent  was  ready  for  action,  when,  at  day-break,  on  the 
^    ^  10 


ft) 


110 


A   HISTORY   OF   THE 


morning  of  the  memorable  eighth,  a  shower  of  rockets 
from  the  enemy  gave  the  signal  of  battle.  A  detachment 
of  the  enemy,  under  Colonel  Thornton,  proceeded  to  at- 
tack the  works  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  while 
General  Pakenham  with  his  whole  force,  exceeding 
twelve  thousand  men,  moved  in  two  divisions  under 
Generals  Gibbs  and  Kean,  and  a  reser^^e  under  General 
Lambert.  Both  divisions  were  supplied  with  scaling- 
ladders  and  fascines,  and  General  Gibbs  had  directions  to 
make  the  principal  attack.  Nothing  could  exceed  the 
imposing  grandeur  of  the  scene.  The  whole  British 
force  advanced  with  much  deliberation,  in  solid  columns, 
over  the  even  surface  of  the  plain  in  front  of  the  Ameri- 
can intrenchments,  bearing  with  them,  in  addition  to  their 
arms,  their  fascines  and  ladders  for  storming  the  American 
works.  ,  All  was  hushed  in  awful  stillness  throughout  the 
American  lines;  each  soldier  grasped  his  arms  with  a 
fixedness  of  purpose,  which  told  his  firm  resolve  to  *do 
or  die ; '  till  the  enemy  approached  within  reach  of  the 
batteries,  which  opened  upon  them  an  incessant  and 
destructive  tide  of  death.  They  continued,  however,  to 
advance  with  the  greatest  firmness,  closing  up  their  lines 
as  they  were  opened  by  the  fire  of  the  Americans,  till 
they  approached  within  reach  of  the  musketry  and  rifles ; 
these,  in  addition  to  the  artillery,  produced  the  most 
terrible  havoc  in  their  ranks,  and  threw  them  into  the 
greatest  confusion.  Twice  were  they  driven  back  with 
immense  slaughter,  and  twice  they  formed  again  and  re- 
newed the  assault.  But  the  fire  of  the  Americans  was 
tremendous  ;  it  was  unparalleled  in  the  annals  of  deadly 
doing  ;  it  was  one  continued  blaze  of  destruction,  before 
which  men  could  not  stand  and  live.  Every  discharge 
swept  away  the  British  columns  like  an  inundation — they 
could  not  withstand  it,  but  fled  in  consternation  and  dis- 
may. Vigorous  were  the  attempts  of  their  officers  to 
rally  them  ;  General  Pakenham,  in  the  attempt,  received 
a  shot,  and  fell  upon  the  field.  Generals  Gibbs  and  Kean 
succeeded,  and  attempted  again  to  push  on  their  columns 
to  the  attack,  but  a  still  more  dreadful  fatality  met  them 


IRISH   SETTLERS  IN   NORTH   AMERICA. 


ni 


from  the  thunders  of  the  American  batteries.  A  third 
unavailing  attempt  was  made  to  rally  their  troops  by  their 
officers,  but  the  same  destruction  met  them.  The  gal- 
lantry of  the  British  officers,  on  this  desperate  day,  was 
deserving  of  a  worthier  cause,  and  better  fate.  General 
Gibbs  fell  mortally,  and  General  Kean  desperately 
wounded,  and  were  borne  from  the  field  of  action.  The 
discomfiture  of  the  enemy  was  now  complete;  a  few 
only  of  the  platoons  reached  the  ditch,  there  to  meet 
more  certain  death.  The  remainder  fled  from  the  field 
with  the  greatest  precipitancy,  and  no  further  effi)rt3 
were  made  to  rally  them.  The  intervening  plain  between 
the  American  and  British  fortifications  was  covered  with 
the  dead ;  taking  into  view  the  length  of  time  and  the 
numbers  engaged,  the  annals  of  bloody  strife,  it  is  be- 
lieved, furnish  no  parallel  to  the  dreadful  carnage  of  this 
battle.  Two  thousand,  at  the  lowest  estimate,  fell,  be- 
sides a  considerable  number  wounded.  The  loss  of  the 
Americans  did  not  exceed  seven  killed  and  six  wounded. 
General  Lambert  was  the  only  superior  officer  left  on  the 
field ;  being  unable  to  check  the  flight  of  the  British 
columns,  he  retreated  to  his  encampment. 

**  The  entire  destruction  of  the  enemy's  army  would 
have  been  now  inevitable,  had  it  not  been  for  an  unfor- 
tunate occurrence,  which  at  this  moment  took  place  on 
the  other  side  of  the  river.  General  Pakenham  had 
thrown  over  in  his  boats,  upon  that  side  of  the  stream,  a 
considerable  force,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Thorn- 
ton, simultaneously  with  his  advance  upon  the  main  body 
of  the  American  works.  They  succeeded  in  landing  at 
the  point  of  their  destination,  and  advanced  to  assault  the 
intrenchment  defended  by  General  Morgan.  Their  re- 
ception was  not  such  as  might  have  been  expected,  from 
the  known  courage  and  firmness  of  the  troops  under  his 
command ;  at  a  moment,  when  the  same  fate  that  met 
their  fellows  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  was  looked 
for,  with  a  confidence  approaching  to  a  certainty,  the 
f  American  right,  believing  itself  to  be  outflanked,  or  for 
some  other  reason  never  satisfactorily  explained,  relin- 


i 


112 


mSTOBT  OF  THE  IRISH  SETTLERS,   ETC. 


quished  its  position,  while  the  left,  with  the  batteries  of 
Commodore  Patterson,  maintained  their  ground  for  some 
time  with  much  gallantry  and  spirit,  till  at  length,  finding 
themselves  deserted  by  their  friends  on  the  right,  and 
greatly  outnumbered  by  the  enemy,  they  were  compelled 
to  spikfc  their  guns  and  retreat. 

'*  This  unfortunate  result  totally  changed  the  aspect  of 
affairs.  The  enemy  were  now  in  occupation  of  a  position 
from  which  they  might  annoy  the  Americans  with  little 
hazard  to  themselves,  and  by  means  of  which  they  might 
have  been  enabled  to  defeat,  in  a  very  considerable  degree, 
the  effects  of  the  success  of  our  arms  on  the  other  side  of 
the  river.  It  therefore  became  an  object  of  the  first  con- 
sequence with  General  Jackson,  to  dislodge  him  as  soon 
as  possible.  For  this  object,  all  the  means  in  his  power, 
which  he  could  use  with  any  safety,  were  put  into  imme- 
diate requisition.*'  '" 

But,  under  cover  of  the  night,  the  enemy,  totally  dis- 
heartened, retreated  silently  to  his  ships,  and  sailed 
sorrowfully  from  the  place  of  his  punishment,  the  much- 
coveted  Mississippi.  The  British  loss,  in  officers  and  men, 
was  about  5,000,  including  their  general-in-chief ;  the 
American  loss  less  than  300. 

Well  might  William  Cobbett  read  a  lesson  to  the  British 
oligarchy  from  the  battle  of  New  Orleans !  Well  might 
he  exult  over  the  punishment  which  had  fallen  upon 
them,  from  this  '*  son  of  poor  Irish  emigrant  parents."* 

While  at  New  Orleans,  Jackson  received  news  of  the 
ratification  of  the  Treaty  of  Ghent,  and  the  new-made 
peace  consequent  thereon.  •  '-** 

•  Cobbett's  Life  of  Andrew  Jackson.  This  biting  pamphlet  was  intended 
to  be  a  vehicle  of  Cobbett's  radicalism,  on  the  questions  of  the  day  in  Great 
Britain.  It  is  conceived  in  a  very  angry  spirit,  but  executed  with  great 
ability.    See  the  Dedication  to  •'  The  People  of  Ireland."  ,    , 


lii 


>,^;j 


CHAPTER    XVI 


JACKSON,  PRESIDENT  —  UNITES  STATES  BANK — "THE  IRISH  VOTE"  —  EDWARD 
KAVANAQH,  MINISTER  TO  PORTCGAL — SENATOR  PORTER  —  JACKSON'S  PARTIAL- 
ITT  TO  IRISH  EMIGRANTS  —  HIS  INFLUENCE  ON   HIS  PARTY' — HIS  CHARACTER. 

Br  the  victory  of  New  Orleans,  Jackson  had  saved  the 
valley  of  the  Mississippi ;  by  the  Seminole  war  of  1817 
and  1818,  he  added  the  Floridas  to  "  the  area  of  liberty.*' 
His  native  state,  as  a  proof  of  its  confidence,  sent  him  to 
the  Senate,  and,  in  1824,  a  great  portion  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party  voted  for  him  as  President.  Two  hundred 
and  seventy-one  electoral  votes  were  divided  between 
four  candidates,  thus  :  —  Jackson  had  ninety-nine  ;  John 
Quincy  Adams  eighty-four ;  W.  H.  Crawford  forty-one, 
and  Henry  Clay  thirty-seven.  The  decision,  therefore, 
went  to  the  House  of  Representatives,  who,  through 
some  motive,  passed  over  the  popular  candidate,  and 
elected  Mr.  Adams  President. 

In  1825,  the  Legislature  of  Tennessee,  on  motion  of 
Mr.  Kennedy,  nominated  Jackson  again  for  the  presl- j 
dency,  and,  in  1828,  he  was  chosen  by  a  large  majority. 

With  the  eight  years'  administration  of  this  eminent 
President,  we  have  in  this  work  little  to  do.  The  great 
action  of  his  civil  life  was  the  abolition  of  the  United 
States  Bank,  —  an  institution  which  threatened  to  be- 
come to  our  government  the  impenum  in  imperiOj  which 
the  Bank  of  England  is  in  the  government  of  England. 
All  men,  at  this  day,  seem  to  bear  testimony  to  the  wisdom 
of  Jackson,  in  that  perilous  encounter  with  the  incorpo- 
rated capital  of  the  Union, — an  encounter  in  which  he  was 
assailed  with  defamation,  treachery,  faction,  and  even  by 
the  assassin's  hand.  But  Providence  preserved  him 
through  all  j  and  those  who  hated  him  unsparingly  in 
^      -         •  10* 


■ 


(..    i 


i 


■ 


114 


A  HIBTORT  OF  THE 


-i 


life,  have,  of  late,  been  oifering  repentant  prayers  upon 
his  grave. 

In  both  presidential  contests,  the  general  was  enthu- 
siastically sustained  by  **  the  Irish  vote."  Apart  from 
his  kindred  origin,  his  militaiy  characteristics  and  thor- 
ough democracy  secured  their  suffrages.  His  surviving 
friends  often  repeat  that  he  considered  that  vote  an 
essential  element  of  American  democracy. 

Of  the  various  men,  of  Irish  origin,  who  found  impor- 
tant employments  under  Jackson's  administration,  Ed- 
ward Kavanagh,  of  Maine,  was  the  most  noted.  He  was 
of  that  Leinster  house  which  has  given  so  many  distin- 
guished public  men  to  continental  Europe.*  He  had  been 
a  state  senator  and  acting  governor  of  Maine.  A  man  of 
strong  Irish  and  Catholic  tendencies,  and,  at  the  same 
time,  an  ardent  Jacksonian.  Him,  the  President  sent 
minister  to  Portugal,  where  he  gave  unbroken  satisfaction 
to  his  own  and  the  native  government.  He  was  a  man 
of  refined  tastes,  and,  on  his  return  from  Lisbon,  brought 
over  an  excellent  collection  of  Spanish  and  Portuguese 
literature,  with  which  he  enriched  various  institutions 
and  libraries.!  He  died  at  his  residence  at  Damaris- 
cotta,  in  1842,  at  an  advanced  age. 

During  the  greater  part  of  Jackson's  presidency,  Mr. 
Clay  was  the  leader  of  the  Whig  opposition.  The  unri- 
valled parliamentary  powers  of  that  famous  leader  would 
have  shaken  almost  any  other  man  ;  but  Jackson  was 
incorporated  into  the  very  being  of  the  American  people, 
and  could  not  be  separated  from  them.  Still,  a  numer- 
ous and  formidable  party  obeyed  the  banner  of  Clay, 
and  among  these,  Senator  Porter,  of  Louisiana,  was  one 
of  the  most  devoted  and  most  able,  during  Jackson's 

•  Within  a  century  it  could  count,  in  Europe,  an  Aulic  Councillor,  a  Gov- 
ernor of  Prague,  and  a  Field  Marshal  Kavanagh,  at  Vienna  ;  a  Field  Mar- 
shal in  Poland  ;  a  Grand  Chamberlain  in  Saxony  ;  a  Count  of  the  Holy 
Roman  Empire  ;  a  French  Conventionist  of  1793,  Godefroi  Cavaignac, 
co-editor  with  Armand  Carrell,  and  Eugene  Cavaignac,  some  time  Dictator, 
in  France. 

t  A  portion  of  his  collection  enriches  the  library  of  the  Jesuit  College,  at 
Worcester,  Mass.  .    .  -        C,  u-i  'A-»i) 


IRISH   SETTLERS  IN  NORTH  AMERICA. 


116 


iJJ 


second  presidency.  This  gentleman  was  the  son  of  the 
Rev.  Wm.  Porter,  pastor  of  Grey  Abbey,  Newtownards, 
county  Down,  who  was  executed  at  the  door  of  his  own 
church,  for  treason,  in  1798.  His  orphan  son  came  with 
an  uncle  to  the  United  States ;  but  we  shall  let  the  friends 
who  mourned  his  death,  record  his  life.  i 

-  On  the  second  of  February,  1841,  his  death  was  an- 
nounced, by  Messrs.  Barrow  and  Benton,  in  the  United 
States  Senate.  They  furnished  this  account  of  his  use- 
ful and  interesting  career. 

Mr.  Benton,  of  Missouri,  said  :  — 
"  I  am  the  oldest  personal  friend  whom  the  illustrious 
deceased  can  have  upon  this  floor,  and  amongst  the  oldest 
whom  he  can  have  in  the  United  States.  It  is  now,  sir, 
more  than  the  period  of  a  generation,  —  more  than  the 
third  of  a  century,  —  since  the  then  emigrant  Irish  boy, 
Alexander  Porter,  and  myself  met  on  the  banks  of  the 
Cumberland  River,  at  NashviUe,  in  the  state  of  Tennes- 
see, when  commenced  a  friendship  which  death  only  dis- 
solved on  his  part.  We  belonged  to  a  circle  of  young 
lawyers  and  students  at  law,  who  had  the  world  before 
them,  and  nothing  but  their  exertions  to  depend  upon. 
First  a  clerk  in  his  uncle's  store,  then  a  student  at  law, 
and  always  a  lover  of  books,  the  young  Porter  was  one 
of  that  circle,  and  it  was  the  custom  of  aU  that  belonged 
to  it  to  spend  their  leisure  hours  in  the  delightful  occupa- 
tion of  reading.  History,  poetry,  elocution,  biography, 
the  ennobling  speeches  of  the  living  and  the  dead,  were 
our  social  recreation  ;  and  the  youngest  member  of  our 
circle  was  one  of  our  favorite  readers.  He  read  well, 
because  he  comprehended  clearly,  felt  strongly,  remarked 
beautifully  upon  striking  passages,  and  gave  a  new  charm 
to  the  whole  with  his  rich,  mellifluous  Irish  accent.  It 
was  then  that  I  became  acquainted  with  Ireland  and  her 
children,  read  the  ample  story  of  her  wrongs,  learnt  the 
long  list  of  her  martyred  patriots'  names,  sympathized  in 
their  fate,  and  imbibed  the  feelings  for  a  noble  and 
oppressed  people,  which  the  extinction  of  my  own  life 
can  alone  extinguish. 


m 


ii.M 


116 


A   HISTORY   OP  THE 


**  Time  and  events  dispersed  that  circle.  The  young 
Porter,  his  law  license  signed,  went  to  the  Lower  Missis- 
sippi ;  I  to  the  Upper.  And,  years  afterwards,  we  met 
on  this  floor,  senators  from  different  parts  of  that  vast 
Louisiana,  which  was  not  even  a  part  of  the  American 
Union  at  the  time  that  he  and  I  were  bom.  We  met 
here  in  the  session  of  1833,  *34,  —  high  party  times, 
and  on  opposite  sides  of  the  great  party  line ;  but  we 
met  as  we  had  parted  years  before.  We  met  as  friends, 
and  though  often  our  part  to  reply  to  each  other  in  the 
ardent  debate,  yet  never  did  we  do  it  with  other  feelings 
than  those  with  which  we  were  wont  to  discuss  our  sub- 
jects of  recreation  on  the  banks  of  the  Cumberland. 

"Alexander  Porter,  —  a  lad  of  tender  age, — an 
orphan,  with  a  widowed  mother  and  young  children,  — 
the  father  martyred  in  the  cause  of  freedom,  —  an  exile 
before  he  was  ten  years  old,  —  an  ocean  to  be  crossed, 
and  a  strange  land  to  be  seen,  and  a  wilderness  of  a 
thousand  miles  to  be  penetrated,  before  he  could  find  a 
resting-place  for  the  sole  of  his  foot.  Then,  education 
to  be  acquired,  support  to  be  earned,  and  even  citizen- 
ship to  be  gained,  before  he  could  make  his  own  talents 
available  to  his  support :  conquering  all  these  difficulties 
by  his  own  exertions,  and  the  aid  of  an  affectionate  uncle, 
Mr.  Alexander  Porter,  sen.,  merchant  of  Nashville,  he 
soon  attained  every  earthly  object,  either  brilliant  or  sub- 
stantial, for  which  we  live  and  struggle  in  this  life.  Hon- 
ors, fortune,  friends  ;  the  highest  professional  and  polit- 
ical distinction ;  long  a  supreme  judge  in  his  adopted 
state  ;  twice  a  senator  in  the  Congress  of  the  United 
States  ;  wearing  all  his  honors  fresh  and  growing  to  the 
last  moment  of  his  life,  —  and  the  announcement  of  his 
death  followed  by  the  adjournment  of  the  two  Houses  of 
the  American  Congress !  What  a  noble  and  crowning 
conclusion  to  a  beginning  so  humble,  and  so  apparently 
hopeless !  -^ 

**  Our  deceased  brother  was  not  an  American  citizen 
by  the  accident  of  birth  ;  he  became  so  by  the  choice  of 
his  own  will  and  by  the  operation  of  our  laws.     The 


IRISH   SETTLERS  IN  NORTH  AMERICA. 


117 


events  of  his  life,  anrl  the  business  of  this  day,  show  this 
title  to  citizenship  to  be  as  valid  in  our  America  as  it  was 
in  the  great  republic  of  antiquit)  I  borrow  the  thought 
of  Cicero,  in  his  pleading  for  the  poet  Archias,  when  I 
place  the  citizen  who  becomes  so  by  law  and  choice,  on 
an  equal  footing  with  thn  citizen  who  becomes  so  by 
chance.  And,  in  the  instance  now  before  us,  we  may  say 
that  our  adopted  citizen  has  repaid  us  for  the  liberality  of 
our  laws,  that  he  has  added  to  the  stock  of  our  national 
character  by  the  contributions  which  he  has  brought  to  it, 
in  the  purity  of  his  private  life,  the  eminence  of  his  pub- 
lic services,  the  ardor  of  his  patriotism,  and  the  elegant 
productions  of  his  mind. 

**  A  few  years  ago,  and  after  he  had  obtained  great 
honor  and  fortune  in  this  country,  he  returned  on  a  visit 
to  his  native  land,  and  to  the  continent  of  Europe.  It 
was  an  occasion  of  honest  exultation  for  the  orphan  im- 
migrant boy  to  return  to  the  land  of  his  fathers,  rich  in 
the  goods  of  this  life,  and  clothed  with  the  honors  of  the 
American  Senate.  But  the  visit  was  a  melancholy  one 
to  him.  His  soul  sickened  at  the  state  of  his  fellow- 
men  in  the  old  world,  (I  had  it  from  his  own  lips,)  and 
he  returned  from  that  visit  with  stronger  feelings  than 
ever  in  favor  of  his  adopted  country." 

Senator  Barrow  thus  described  his  deceased  colleague : 
"  Judge  Porter  was  born  in  the  land  of  Curran,  and 
his  father  was  a  contemporary  and  friend  of  that  brilliant 
orator  and  incorruptible  patriot.  The  father  of  Judge 
Porter  was  a  man  of  piety  and  classical  education,  and 
was  by  profession  a  minister  of  the  gospel ;  but  the  fire 
of  patriotism  and  the  love  of  liberty  glowed  so  warmly 
in  his  bosom,  that  he  threw  aside  the  sacerdotal  robe  and 
put  on  the  burnished  armor  of  a  soldier,  and  resolved  to 
conquer  or  die  in  defence  of  his  country's  freedom.  His- 
tory informs  us  what  was  the  result  of  the  patriotic 
attempt,  made  in  1798,  by  some  of  the  purest  and  most 
gifted  sons  of  Ireland,  to  emancipate  her  from  the  thral- 
dom of  England  ;  and,  from  the  pages  of  the  same  his- 
tory, we  learn  that  the  father  of  Judge  Porter  fell  a 


1 

'1*1 


'nl 


:*-|^ 


=•" 


W 

V-  ■  i 


"n 


W 


III 


118 


A   HISTORY   OP   THE 


martyr  in  the  cause  of  freedom,  and  was  executed  as  a 
rebel.  Judge  Porter  thus  became  in  early  life  fatherless 
and  without  a  home,  and  he  was  forced  to  abandon  his 
own,  his  native  land,  and  seek  refuge  in  a  land  of  stran- 
gers. To  this  country,  the  asylum  of  the  oppressed  of 
all  nations.  Judge  Porter,  in  company  with  his  widowed 
mother  and  a  younger  brother,  emigrated  and  settled  in 
Nashville,  Tennessee,  amongst  whose  generous  citizens 
he  found  many  ready  to  comfort  the  widow  and  protect 
the  fatherless.  -^ 

"  In  a  few  years,  while  thus  laboring  for  his  own  and  a 
widowed  mother's  support,  he  not  only  extended  the 
sphere  of  his  general  knowledge,  but  he  laid  the 
broad  and  deep  foundation  of  that  legal  learning  which 
was  the  pride  and  ornament  of  his  matured  age,  and  which 
will  transmit  his  name  to  the  latest  posterity,  as  one  of 
the  brightest  judicial  lights  of  this  age.  At  this  period 
of  his  life  we  find  Judge  Porter  once  more  seeking  a 
new  homo  ;  and  about  the  year  1809  he  removed  from 
Nashville  to  the  Territory  of  Orleans,  and  settled  in  the 
parish  of  Attakapas,  where  he  lived  and  died,  loved  and 
admired  for  his  many  private  virtues,  and  honored  for  his 
talents  and  public  services. 

"The  first  high  station  of  trust  in  which  we  find  him 
placed  by  the  confidence  of  the  people  among  whom  he 
had  settled,  is  in  the  convention  of  1812,  to  form  a  con- 
stitution for  the  Territory  of  Orleans.  In  that  body, 
which  numbered  the  ablest  men  of  the  territory.  Judge 
Porter  soon  acquired  a  reputation  for  integrity,  learning, 
and  statesmanship,  which  placed  him  at  once  most  con- 
spicuously before  the  people  ;  and  he  was,  not  long  after 
that  period,  elevated  to  the  Supreme  Court  Bench  of  the 
State  of  Louisiana,  which  station  he  occupied  for  about 
fifteen  years. 

"  It  was  in  that  office  that  Judge  Porter  rendered  ser- 
vices to  the  people  of  Louisiana  above  all  appreciation, 
and  acquired  for  himself  a  reputation  as  imperishable  as 
the  civil  law  itself  The  opinions  which  he  delivered  dis- 
play a  depth  of  learning,  a  power  of  analysis,  a  force  of 


i    , '" 


IRISH   SETTLERS   IN  NORTH   AMERICA. 


119 


'■.:iV 


reasoning,  and  a  comprehensiveness  and  accuracy  of  judg- 
ment, which  justly  entitle  him  to  a  niche  in  the  temple  of 
Fame,  in  juxtaposition  with  even  the  great,  the  pure,  the 
immortal  Marshall." 

This  is  the  language  of  eulogy,  but  it  contains  the  evi- 
dence of  being  founded  in  truth. 

.;  Jackson  had  a  natural,  but  not  a  blind,  partiality  for 
his  race.  His  personal  attendants  were  nearly  all  natives 
of  Ireland,  and  he  would  condescend  to  reason,  advise, 
and  exhort  them,  as  if  they  were  his  own  family.  Many 
instances  of  his  thoughtfulness,  in  this  regard,  have  been 
related  to  us,  by  living  witnesses  of  the  facts.* 

In  1836,  Andrew  Jackson  retired  to  his  *'  Hermitage," 
where  nine  years  of  peaceful  repose,  broken  only  by  the 
pains  incident  to  age,  were  granted  him.  He  had  be- 
queathed his  party  influence  to  Van  Buren  ;  and  though 
for  a  time  the  Democratic  succession  was  disturbed,  he 
saw  it  restored  before  his  death,  in  the  elevation  of  Mr. 
Polk  to  the  presidency  in  1844.  He  had  the  gratifica- 
tion to  see  a  vote  of  Congress,  censuring  his  military 
conduct  in  Florida,  and  the  fine  imposed  in  New  Orleans, 
for  declaring  martial  law  in  1815,  rescinded  and  refund- 
ed. His  principles  and  policy  were  everywhere  spread, 
and  successful ;  and  it  would  have  been  no  illusion  of 
self-love  for  him  to  believe  that,  next  to  Thomas  Jeffer- 
son, he  had  done  most  to  form  a  national  policy  for  the 
Union,  acceptable,  in  the  main,  to  every  American. 

*  We  have  perused  a  most  kind  and  characteristic  letter  from  the  General 
to  Mr.  Mahcr,  the  public  gardener  at  Washington,  on  the  death  of  his  chil- 
dren.    It  is  conceived  in  the  most  fraternal  and  cordial  spirit  of  sympathy. 

.Jackson's  man-servant,  Jemmy  O'Neil,  alas  I  no  more,  was  once  in  the 
circle  of  our  acquaintance.  Before  the  days  of  Father  Mathew,  poor  Jemmy 
was  given  to  sacrifice  too  freely  to  Bacchus,  and  on  those  occasions  assumed 
rather  a  troublesome  control  over  all  visitors  and  dwellers  in  the  "  White 
House,"  After  many  complaints,  Jackson  decided  to  dismiss  him,  and  sent 
for  him  accordingly. 

Jackson.  Jemmy,  you  and  I  must  part. 

Jemmy.  Why  so,  General  I 

Jackson.  Every  oue  couiplaius  of  you. 

Jemmy.  And  do  you  believe  them.  General  ? 

Jackson.  Of  course,  —  what  every  one  says  must  be  true. 

Jemmy.  Well,  now,  General,  I  've  heard  twice  as  much  said  against  you, 
and  I  never  would  believe  a  word  of  it !     {Exit  Jackson.) 


'^^^^^mm^.mm,:^ 


i^ixstiiiiaxigi, . 


120 


HISTORT  OF  THE  IRISH   SETTLERS,   ETC. 


i's 


:  I 


-I 


The  character  of  Jackson  will  be  an  historical  study 
for  a  thousand  years.  His  is  one  of  those  angular  out- 
lines which  almost  defy  time  to  make  them  common- 
place. Like  Sixtus  Quintus,  Columbus,  and  Cromwell, 
much  reflection  upon  him  does  not  beget  the  sense  of 
dimness,  but  of  substantiality.  We  have  blood  and  bone 
in  every  incident  of  his  life  and  every  word  he  has  ut- 
tered. Truly  has  it  been  said,  "  he  was  one  of  the  sin- 
cerest  of  men."  Philosophers  might  be  puzzled  at  the 
rigid  sequence  of  his  life  and  language,  did  they  not  know 
that  there  are  some  natures  which,  founded  upon  certain 
radical  principles,  can  only  live  a  life  of  unity,  or  of 
madness.  Jackson  could  never  have  been  inconsistent, 
unless  he  had  gone  insane.  ;a, 

American  national  character  has,  since  his  day,  par- 
taken equally  of  Jackson  and  of  Franklin.  The  Quaker 
thrift,  the  proverbial  calculation  remains,  but  with  it  is 
mingled  a  strange  and  potent  elemental  ardor,  a  desire 
of  territory,  a  sense  of  power,  and  a  Spartan  audacity, 
unknown  to  the  revolutionary  generation.  The  Virgin- 
ian presidents  had  the  manners  of  courts  and  the  disci- 
pline of  English  Benchers.  The  man  of  the  west,  tough 
as  the  hickory  trees  through  which  he  so  often  marched, 
was  as  natural  in  his  style,  habits,  and  wants,  as  any 
hunter  of  the  prairies.  When  the  "  White  House"  was 
threatened  with  a  mob,  he  dismissed  the  naval  and  mil- 
itary officers,  who  volunteered  their  guard,  loaded  his  own 
and  his  nephew's  rifle,  and,  so  prepared,  the  President  of 
the  United  States  awaited  his  foes  in  the  executive  man- 
sion. He  would  not  use  a  sheet  of  the  public  paper ;  he 
allowed  no  lackeys  to  attend  on  his  person.  In  small 
things,  and  in  great,  he  was  singular  among  great  men  ; 
but  all  his  singularities,  when  compiled,  will  be  found  to 
constitute  a  grand,  original,  and  compact  soldier-states- 
man. 


Cr>  '^:■■i5.■.■■ 


CHAPTER    XVII. 


SPftBAB    OF  CATHOLICISM  —  OROAJTIZATION    INTO  DIOCESES  —  WESTERN  MIS8I0NC  — 

SOUTHERN     MISSIONS BISHOP     ENGLAND CHARLESTOWN     CON\'ENT     BURNED, 

A.   D.    1834  —  THE   GREAT  CONTROVERSY. 

^*^  The  United  States  constitution  had  swept  away  all  dis- 
abilities on  conscience,  and,  though  prejudice  remained, 
open  persecution  was  seen  in  the  land  no  more.  New 
missions  were  formed,  seminaries  were  opened,  and  many- 
additional  churches  were  begun.  From  the  year  1790 
onwards,  the  chief  supply  of  the  American  mission  was 
from  France  and  Ireland.  In  1796,  Catholicism  in  the 
east  gained  a  treasure,  in  the  person  of  Mr.  Cheverus, 
afterwards  Cardinal  in  France.  The  first  Catholic  con- 
gregation in  Boston  had  been  collected  by  the  Abbe  la 
Poitre,  a  French  chaplain,  during  the  revolutionary  war, 
who  procured  a  temporary  church  in  School  street.  Dr. 
Cheverus,  not  confining  himself  to  the  city,  traversed  New 
England,  from  the  Housatonic  to  the  Penobscot.  He 
learned  English,  and  even  the  Indian  dialects,  to  make 
his  mission  understood.  He  travelled  from  house  to 
house,  in  Boston,  personally  visiting  his  flock.  Preju- 
dice had  no  fortress  against  him,  labor  no  terrors  ;  the 
plague  itself  saw  him  harmless  from  its  worst  haunts.  He 
is  justly  revered  as  one  of  the  fathers  of  the  American 
Church  ;  and,  truly,  those  who  knew  him,  —  even  those 
deaf  to  his  doctrine,  —  admit  that  he  led  the  life  of  an 
apostle,  worthy  of  the  Cross. 

In  April,  1808,  Pope  Pius  VII.  issued  his  Bull,  erect- 
ing Baltimore  into  an  Archbishopric,*  and  fixing  four 
Sees  at  Bardstown,  Philadelphia,  New  York,  and  Boston. 

*0n  the  Slat  of  May,  1821,  the  Cathedral  of  Baltimore,  the  building  of 
which  had  been  begun  in  180(5,  suspended  during  the  war,  and  re-com- 
menced in  1817,  was  consecrated.  Tiie  form  is  that  of  a  cross ;  its  length, 
166  feet;  breadth,  77  feet;  and  across  tbe  transept,  115  feet.     It  yet  wants 

11 


'^^»mutm,^.^. 


i-v  % 


m 


iPil 


122 


A    HISTORY    OP   THE 


The  Rev.  Messrs.  Flaget,  Concanen,  Egan,  and  Cheveras, 
were  consecrated  to  the  several  Sees.  Thus,  of  the  orig- 
inal five  who  made  the  Hierarchy  of  the  Union,  France 
contributed  two  and  Ireland  three.  4 

About  the  year  1800,  the  Catholic  missions  began  to 
be  formed  beyond  the  Ohio,  and  in  a  few  years  became 
both  numerous  and  important.  The  accession  of  Lou- 
isiana to  the  Union,  in  Jefferson's  presidency,  extended 
the  field  of  Catholic  missions,  and  still  further  strength- 
ened the  church  in  the  south-west.  The  diocese  of 
Arkansas,  and  arch-diocese  of  St.  Louis,  are  recent 
creations. 

In  1791,  the  mission  of  Charleston  was  founded.  "  In 
that  year,  a  number  of  individuals  of  that  communion, 
chiefly  natives  of  Ireland,  associated  together  for  public 
worship,  chose  a  vestry,  and  put  themselves  under  the 
care  of  Bishop  Carroll,  of  Baltimore.  The  Rev.  Dr. 
Keating  officiated  as  their  minister.  The  troubles  in 
France  and  the  West  Indies  soon  brought  a  large  acces- 
sion to  their  number.  Under  the  auspices  of  the  learned 
and  eloquent  Dr.  Gallagher,  they  have  built,  organized, 
and  obtained  incorporation  for  a  respectable  church  in 
Charleston."* 

To  the  government  of  that  southern  mission  was 
ordained,  in  the  year  1820,  the  most  powerful  intellect 
which  had  yet  ministered  at  the  altar  in  America.  The 
generation  of  apostles  had  passed,  —  the  confessors  had 
now  come  ;  and  Dr.  England  stands,  unquestionably,  the 
foremost  of  the  band,  whether  wc  look  for  natural  parts, 
solid  learning,  rigid  self-denial,  or  unmitigated  labor. 

Bishop  John  England  was  born  in  Cork  city,  on  the 
23d  of  September,  1786.  Educated  and  ordained  at 
Carlow  College,  he  returned  to  his  native  city  in  1808. 
For  twelve  years  he  labored  there  without  ceasing.     He 

the  portico  on  the  vvrstorn  front ;  hut  through  tlic  exertions  of  an  associa- 
tion formed  for  tlie  purpose,  it  has  heea  surrounded  l)y  a  hanilsome  iron  rail- 
ing, and  a  sexton's  lodge  has  heen  erected. 

*  Ramsay's  South  ("arolina,  vol.  ii.,  p.  37.  This  passage  was  probably 
written  about  the  year  1790  or  7,  and  consequently  shows  that  Dr.  Gallagher 
was  the  precursor  of  Dr.  England. 


IRISH   SETTLERS   IN   NORTH   AMERICA. 


123 


originated  a  circulating  library,  started  and  edited  the 
**  Religious  Repository,"  a  monthly  magazine,  contrib- 
uted to  the  "  Cork  Chronicle,"  the  patriotic  organ, 
lectured  three  or  four  times  a  week  at  the  Cathedral,  and 
yet  attended  to  all  the  daily  personal  duties  of  the  mission. 
One  need  not  wonder  if,  after  twelve  years  of  such  labors, 
his  departure  from  Cork  was  lamented,  by  all  denomina- 
tions, as  a  calamity  to  the  city.  On  the  last  day  of 
1820,  he  arrived  at  Charleston,  having  been  consecrated 
at  Cork,  the  previous  September,  by  the  Rt.  Rev.  Dr. 
Murphy,  assisted  by  the  Bishops  of  Ossory  and  Rich- 
mond. 

--  The  states  of  North  and  South  Carolina  and  Georgia, 
as  subsequently  the  Vicariate  of  Hayti,  were  placed 
under  his  episcopal  jurisdiction.  Surveying  the  ground  he 
was  to  govern,  the  indomitable  spirit  of  the  great  bishop 
found  difficulties  enough  for  the  most  heroic  to  face.  The 
variety  and  extent  of  his  first  labors  are  indicated  by  a 
congenial  biographer  in  the  following  passages  :  — 

"  But  the  herald  of  the  Cross  had  been  '  anointed'  to 
the  holy  mission  *  with  the  oil  of  gladness  above  his  fel- 
lows !  '  The  enlightened  and  accomplished  citizens  of 
the  south  were  seen  crowding  around  his  pulpit,  delighted 
by  his  eloquence,  abashed  by  his  learning,  astonished  by 
his  logic,  —  ready  to  exclaim  with  him  of  old,  *  Almost 
thou  persuadest ! '  Churches,  temporary  in  material, 
and  slight  in  structure,  it  is  true,  but  suitable  for  the 
exigency,  rose  around  him  like  exhalations.  A  constitu- 
tion was  formed,  and  the  diocese  incorporated  by  legal 
charter,  which,  while  it  reserved  to  the  bishop  all  powers 
essential  to  discipline,  and  repressive  to  schism,  guaran- 
teed ecclesiastic  property  to  its  legitimate  destination, 
against  the  possible  lapse  of  himself  or  his  successors  ; 
and,  by  introducing  the  principle  of  public  and  strict 
accountability  into  the  management  of  ecclesiastical  rev- 
enues, assured  to  him  the  confidence  of  a  people  prover- 
bially jealous  on  all  subjects  connected  with  the  purse. 

**  His  first  and  greatest  want  was  that  of  a  popular 
clergy.     His  diocese,  like  most  poor  and  thinly-peopled 


it 


124 


A  mSTORT  OF  THE 


rk"  irlr-^M*- 


ones,  had  been  a  city  of  refuge  to  outcasts  from  others. 
Men  of  talent  and  merit  were  of  eager  request,  where 
not  only  greater  temporal  advantages,  but  ampler  oppor- 
tunities to  do  good,  invited  them.  His  sad  experience, 
too,  with  some  valuable  co-laborers,  whom  zeal  of  mar- 
tyrdom, or  attachment  to  his  person,  attracted  to  that 
insidious  climate,  convinced  him  of  the  necessity  of  edu- 
cating a  native  clergy,  or  at  least  one  composed  of  such  as 
long  and  early  acclimation  might  seem  to  ensure  against 
being  cut  off  in  the  midst  of  their  usefulness.  He  attached, 
also,  the  utmost  importance  to  what  might  be  called  the 
*  naturalization '  of  Catholicity.  He  desired  that  it  should 
no  longer  be  regarded  as  the  religion  of  the  stranger  ;  but 
that  its  ministers  should  be  American,  in  principle,  feel- 
ing, and  habit, — familiarized,  by  long  experience,  with 
all  the  practical  workings  of  our  political  system. 

"  With  these  views  he  founded  a  seminary.  But  how, 
in  the  destitution  of  pecuniary  means,  was  it  to  be  sup- 
ported ?  His  rapid  observation  detected  the  languishing 
state  of  rudimentary  education.  He  incorporated  a  clas- 
sical and  scientific  academy  with  his  diocesan  seminary, 
united  in  his  own  person  the  schoolmaster  and  doctor  of 
divinity,  and  his  embryo  theologians  were  subsisted  by 
tlie  very  means  that  consigned  his  father  to  a  jail.  He 
was  emphatically  the  restorer  of  classical  learning  in 
Charleston.*  His  appeals  excited  direct  interest  in  the 
subject  among  the  most  influential  citizens.  Sectarian 
jealousy  was  awakened,  rival  institutions  were  built  up  to 
preserve  ingenuous  youth  from  *  the  snares  of  Popery  ;* 
and  thus,  whether  *  out  of  envy  and  contention,'  or  *  for 
good  will,'  a  great  public  want  was  supplied.  It  remains 
to  be  felt  by  the  wealthy  planters,  who  subscribed  their 
thousands  with  unsparing  hand  to  subvert  the  seminary, 
that  would  long  ere  now  have  supplied  th^r  country 
with  priests,  whether  they  did  Avisely  in  retarding  the 
progress  of  a  religion  which  some  of  them  are  now  be- 
ginning to  appreciate,  as  the  only  one  to  which  they  can 
entrust  the  fideUty  and  happiness  of  their  slaves.  • 


*  Southern  Review,  No.  1. 


.-t^'' 


I 


IRISH   SETTLERS   IN   NORTH   AMERICA. 


125 


their 


**  But  the  bishop's  comprehensive  forecast  was  not 
limited  to  projects  connected  exclusively  with  his  own 
immediate  objects.  He  infused  new  life,  by  his  energy, 
into  the  Philosophical  and  Literary  Association,  of  which 
he  continued  till  death  an  honored  and  useful  member ; 
applying  his  unrivalled  powers  to  instruct  and  please,  as 
happily  to  the  subjects  of  scientific  or  critical  contempla- 
tion, as  to  the  more  accustomed  topics  of  his  sacred  call- 
ing ;  but  ever  aiming  to  hallow  his  intellectual  offering, 
and  direct  the  attention  of  his  delighted  auditory,  from 
the  wonders  of  nature  or  the  beautiful  creations  of  mind, 
to  the  *  Author  of  every  good  and  perfect  gift.' 

"  He  witnessed  with  grief  and  horror  the  Moloch  rav- 
ages of  that  misnamed  spirit  of  honor  that  so  often  carries 
desolation  to  the  bosom  of  southern  society  ;  quenching 
in  the  blood  of  its  victim  the  hopes  of  an  admiring  coun- 
try or  of  domestic  affection.  He  rallied  about  him  the 
chivalry  of  Carolina,  in  an  Anti-Duelling  Society,  of 
which  General  Thomas  Pinckney,  of  revolutionary  fame, 
was  the  venerated  president ;  and,  through  his  own  per- 
sonal activity,  backed  by  the  moral  influence  of  that  asso- 
ciation, many  hostile  meetings  were  prevented,  and  valu- 
able lives  most  probably  preserved.  I  have  listened  to 
him,  as  with  merry  triumph,  and  unsparing  but  playful 
ridicule,  he  has  talked  over,  with  a  gallant  officer,  their 
counter  manoeuvres,  on  one  most  interesting  occasion, 
and  rejoiced  over  his  opponent's  baffled  love  of  mischief. 

"He  found  the  Catholic  body  in  America  defenceless. 
The  secular  press  was  in  the  hands  of  persons  so  utterly 
enslaved  by  the  delusion  of  that  great  conspiracy  against 
truth,  the  history  and  literature  of  England  for  the  last 
three  centuries,  that  writers  were  often  unconscious  of 
giving  offence,  while  promulgating  the  most  injurious 
misstatements  or  senseless  absurdities.  Of  the  journals 
professedly  religious  it  is  unnecessary  to  speak.  He 
established  the  "  United  States  Catholic  Miscellany,"  and 
found  time,  amidst  his  immense  and  various  occupations, 
to  supply  its  columns  with  a  vast  amount  of  original  mat- 
ter, not  always,  perhaps,  as  perfect  in  literary  polish,  as 

11* 


.■.il^*-."*)..'. 


126 


A  mSTOBT   OF  THE 


111'; 


!'■ 


if  he  had  read  over  the  blotted  manuscript  before  it  was 
hurried  to  the  printer ;  but  always  resistless  in  reasoning, 
charming  by  its  fervid  eloquence,  overwhelming  with  its 
accumulated  erudition.  Many  of  those  essays,  which  the 
importance  of  the  subjects  discussed  induced  him  to 
extend  through  a  series  of  numbers,  have  been  collected 
in  such  guise  as  poverty  compelled  them  to  wear,  —  like 
the  hero  of  the  Odyssey  in  rags  at  the  palace-gate,  — 
but  a  wider  circulation  will  yet  be  given  them,  and  future 
generations  look  with  gratitude  and  delight  on  the  fulfil- 
ment of  the  modest  pledge  that  announced  them  to  the 
world:"  — 

The  Miscellany  was  announced  to  contain  —  ? 

**  *  The  simple  explanation  and  temperate  maintenance 
of  the  doctrine  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  ;  in  exhib- 
iting which,  its  ponductors  are  led  to  hope  that  many 
sensible  persons  will  be  astonished  at  finding  they  have 
imputed  to  Catholics,  doctrines  which  the  Catholic  Church 
has  formally  condemned,  and  imagining  they  were  con- 
tradicting Catholics,  when  they  held  Catholic  doctrine 
themselves.'  "* 

For  two  and  twenty  years,  Dr.  England  was  spared  to 
the  church  in  the  south.  In  all  these  years  he  was  the 
prime  legislator  of  his  order.  He  was  '*  the  author  of  the 
Provincial  Councils,"  which  assemble  annually  at  Balti- 
more.f  He  was  almost  the  first  to  give  to  Catholicity  a 
literature  and  a  status  in  the  United  States.  His  various 
writings  on  the  doctrines  of  the  church,  on  the  institution 
of  slavery,  on  historical  and  philosophical  subjects,  fill 
five  large  volumes,  which  must  ever  remain  among  the 
most  precious  legacies  of  the  American  Church. 

On  the  11th  of  April,  1842,  the  bishop  expired,  at 
Charleston.  The  chief  journals  and  statesmen  of  the 
south  rendered  spontaneous  homage  to  his  memory.  All 
admitted  that  '*  the  mighty  man,  who  had  served  the  peo- 
ple," was  fallen.  Far  and  wide  as  the  church  has 
extended  since  his  death,  —  distinguished  as  are  many 

•Reid'sMemoir,  in  Dr.  England's  Works,  vol.  i.,pp.  13,13.    tlbid.,p.  17. 


IRISH   SETTLEBS  IN   NORTH  AMERICA. 


127 


ill 


of  its  prelates  at  the  time  we  write,  —  there  has  not 
arisen  his  equal.  Such  men  are  not  often  given  to  earth, 
and  the  earth  should  therefore  be  doubly  carefu  )f  them, 
while  she  has  them.  - 

During  the  life-time  of  Bishop  England,  the  most 
painful  circumstance  occurred,  of  the  burning  of  the  Con- 
vent, founded  in  1820,  by  Bishop  Fenwick,  at  Charlestown, 
Mass.  New  England,  an  uncongenial  land  for  convents, 
had  been  shocked  by  the  founding  of  a  house  of  Ursu- 
lines  in  the  near  neighborhood  of  Bunker's  Hill.  On- 
Sunday,  August  10th,  1834,  Rev.  Dr.  Beecher  delivered 
three  philippics,  in  three  different  churches,  against  the 
institution,  —  a  course  in  which  he  had  many  imitators. 
Rumors  were  also  artfully  circulated  of  a  young  lady 
being  immured  in  a  dungeon  of  the  convent.  On  Mon- 
day night,  August  11th,  tar  barrels  were  lighted  near  the 
house,  by  a  group  of  incendiaries,  who  were  soon  joined 
by  a  tumultuous  crowd  from  Charlestown  and  Boston. 
The  details  of  this  burglary  and  sacrilege  are  set  forth 
by  a  sub-committee  of  citizens  of  Boston,  (who  gave 
several  weeks  to  the  investigation,)  in  the  following 
report :  — 

"  At  the  time  of  this  attack  upon  the  convent,  there 
were  within  its  walls  about  sixty  female  children,  and  ten 
adults,  one  of  whom  was  in  the  last  stages  of  pulmonary 
consumption,  another  suffering  under  convulsion  fits,  and 
the  unhappy  female  who  had  been  the  immediate  cause 
of  the  excitement  was,  by  the  agitation  of  the  night,  in 
raving  delirium. 

"  No  warning  was  giving  of  the  intended  assault,  nor 
could  the-  miscreants  by  whom  it  was  made  have  known 
whether  their  missiles  might  not  kill  or  wound  the  help- 
less inmates  of  this  devoted  dwelling.  Fortunately  for 
them,  cowardice  prompted  what  mercy  and  manhood 
denied.  After  the  first  attack,  the  assailants  paused 
awhile,  from  the  fear  that  some  secret  force  was  con- 
cealed in  the  convent,  or  in  ambush  to  surprise  them ; 
and  in  this  interval  the  governess  was  enabled  to  secure 
the  retreat  of  her  little  flock  and  terrified  sisters  into  the 


■''^'^m^W'-^-^: 


•a  •'-i:,.,'r;rJii(.;.--{,'M;.;.: 


128 


A  BISTORT   OF  THB 


garden.  But  before  this  was  fully  eflTected,  the  rioters, 
finding  they  had  nothing  but  women  and  children  to  con- 
tend against,  regained  their  courage,  and,  ere  all  the 
inmates  could  escape,  entered  the  building. 

"  It  appears  that,  during  these  proceedings,  the  mag- 
istrate above  referred  to,  with  another  of  the  selectmen, 
had  arrived,  and  entered  the  convent  with  the  rioters, 
for  the  purpose,  as  they  state,  of  assisting  its  inmates. 
The  mob  had  now  full  possession  of  the  house,  and  loud 
cries  were  heard  for  torches  or  lights.  One  of  the  mag- 
istrates in  question  availed  himself  of  this  cry  to  deter 
the  rioters  from  firing  the  building,  by  stating  that  if 
lights  were  brought  they  might  be  detected.  •: -^r 

**  Three  or  four  torches,  which  were,  or  precisely 
resembled,  engine  torches,  were  then  brought  up  from 
the  road  ;  and  immediately  upon  their  arrival,  the  rioters 
proceeded  into  every  room  in  the  building,  rifling  every 
drawer,  desk,  and  trunk,  which  they  found,  and  breaking 
up  and  destroying  all  the  furniture,  and  casting  much  of 
it  from  the  windows ;  sacrificing,  in  their  brutal  fury, 
costly  piano-fortes,  and  harps,  and  other  valuable  instru- 
ments, the  little  treasures  of  the  childien,  abandoned  in 
their  hasty  flight,  and  even  the  vessels  and  symbols  of 
Christian  worship. 

"After  having  thus  ransacked  every  room  in  the  build- 
ing, they  proceeded,  with  great  deliberation,  about  one 
o'clock,  to  make  preparations  for  setting  fire  to  it.  For 
this  purpose,  broken  furniture,  books,  curtains,  and  other 
combustible  materials,  were  placed  in  the  centre  of  sev- 
eral of  the  rooms  ;  and,  as  if  in  mockery  of  God  as  well 
as  of  man,  the  Bible  was  cast,  with  shouts  of  exultation, 
upon  the  pile  first  kindled  ;  and  as  upon  this  were 
subsequently  thrown  the  vestments  used  in  religious  ser- 
vice, and  the  ornaments  of  the  altar,  these  shouts  and 
yells  were  repeated.  Nor  did  they  cease  until  the  cross 
was  wrenched  from  its  place  and  cast  into  the  flames,  as 
the  final  triumph  of  this  fiendlike  enterprise. 

"  But  the  work  of  destruction  did  not  end  here.  Soon 
after  the  convent  was  in  flames,  the  rioters  passed  on  to 


pr 


a 


?3 


IBIS7  SETTUIRS  IN  NORTH   AMERICA. 


ir> 


m 


%M,  : 


the  library,  or  bishop's  lodge,  which  stood  near,  and,  after 
throwing  the  books  and  pictures  from  the  windows,  a 
prey  to  those  without,  fired  that  also.  :  ' 

*'  Some  time  afterwards,  they  proceeded  to  the  farm- 
house, formerly  occupied  as  the  convent,  and  first  making 
a  similar  assault  with  stones  and  clubs  upon  the  doors 
and  windows,  in  order  to  ascertain  whether  they  had  any- 
thing to  fear  fi-^m  persons  within,  the  torches  were  delib- 
erately applied  to  that  building ;  and,  unwilling  to  have 
one  object  connected  with  the  establishment  to  escape 
their  fury,  although  the  day  had  broken,  and  three  build- 
ings were  then  in  flames,  or  reduced  to  ashes,  the  exten- 
sive barn,  with  its  contents,  was  in  like  manner  devoted 
to  destruction.  And,  not  content  with  all  this,  they  burst 
open  the  tomb  of  the  establishment,  rifled  it  of  the  sacred 
vessels  there  deposited,  wrested  the  plates  from  the  cof- 
fins, and  exposed  to  view  the  mouldering  remains  of  their 
tenants." 

This  report  is  signed  by  Charles  G.  Loring,  chairman, 
and  by  a  committee  of  thirty-seven  persons,  including  sev* 
eral  eminent  legal  and  political  characters. 

But  it  was  not  alone  with  the  torch  and  the  fagot 
that  Bishop  England's  contemporaries  were  assailed. 
The  pulpit  and  the  press,  for  several  successive  years, 
were  chiefly  occupied  with  what,  for  brevity,  we  may 
call  the  great  Catholic  Controversy.  Drs.  O'Flaherty 
and  Beecher,  at  Boston  ;  Drs.  Levins  and  Powers  against 
Messrs.  Brownlow  and  others,  at  New  York ;  Messrs. 
Hughes  and  Breckenridge,  in  Philadelphia ;  Messrs.  Pur- 
cel  and  Campbell,  in  Cincinnati,  debated  very  fully  the 
great  points  in  dispute  between  the  Church  and  Protest- 
antism. Much  theological  and  historical  learning  was 
manifested  on  each  side,  but  the  defenders  of  Catholicity 
could  afibrd  to  publish  the  arguments  of  their  opponents 
and  their  own,  —  a  declaration  of  confidence  in  their  own 
success,  which  was  not  assumed  on  the  other  side. 

In  Philadelphia  the  controversy  was  perpetuated  long- 
est, and  with  least  result  of  good.  Some  minor  contro- 
vertists,  indulging  in  sarcasm  and  calumny  on  the  one 


^m^!W^Z4 


130 


mSTOBT   OF  THE  IRISH   SETTLERS,   ETC 


'im 


•Mr, 


side,  called  down  retorts  and  philippics  on  the  other. 
The  imprudence,  also,  of  certain  naturalized  citizens, 
and  the  proneness  to  faction  in  great  cities,  produced  the 
scandalous  riots  of  the  year  1844,  in  that  city,  —  a 
subject  which  requires  a  separate  chapter. 


■-'%' 


■•?< 


.Ik 
'ma 


.i'A 


.>     it: 


lit' 


i 


V  CHAPTER    XVIII. 

AMERICAN  SYMPATHY  FOR  IRELAND  —  UNITED  IRISHMEN  —  THE  OATHOLTO  EMANCI- 
PATION  MOVEMENT  —  IRISH    JOURNALS  —  AGITATION    FOR    "A    REPEAL    OF    THB 

union"   with    ENGLAND INFLUENCE    OF     MR.     O'CONNELL — THE    ATTEMPTED 

KEVOLUnONARY  MOVEMENT  OF  1848  —  SYMPATHY  WITH  ITS  PRINCIPLES. 

A  NATURAL  consequence  of  the  large  emigration  from 
Ireland  to  America  was,  that  a  deep  interest  continued 
to  be  felt  in  Irish  affairs  by  the  emigrants  themselves, 
and  all  whom  they  could  influence  in  this  Republic.  We 
have  seen  Benjamin  Franklin,  the  Father  of  American 
Diplomacy,  sanctioning  such  an  intimacy  so  early  as 
1771,  maintaining,  even  then,  that  America  and  Ireland 
had  a  common  interest  in  resisting  the  centralization  of 
such  vast  political  power  in  London. 

*•  The  United  Irishmen"  were  the  first  organized 
American  sympathizers  in  Irish  political  movements. 
They  were  strong  enough  to  excite  the  attention  of  the 
then  British  minister.  Sir  Robert  Listen,  and  their  system 
was  pleaded  as  a  justification  (after  the  fact)  for  the 
enactment  of  the  Alien  Law.  No  doubt,  the  discourtesy 
shown  by  Rufus  King  to  the  imprisoned  United  Irishmen 
in  England  and  Scotland,  when  they  applied  for  pass- 
ports, was  inspired,  in  the  first  place,  by  the  recollection 
that  their  American  colleagues  had  been  rather  trouble- 
some to  the  Adams  administration. 

When  the  Catholic  emancipation  movement  began  to 
assume  national  proportions,  —  between  the  years  1820 
and  1830,  —  various  societies  were  formed  in  our  large 
cities,  under  the  title  of  "  Friends  of  Ireland."  In  New 
York,  Emmet,  McNevin,  Sampson,  and  the  O'Connors, 
lent  great  importance  to  such  an  organization  ;  in  Phila- 
delphia, the  Binns  and  others;  in  Boston,  John  W. 
James;  in  Charleston,  Bishop  England;  in  Savannah 
and  Mobile  it  had  active  promoters ;  in  New  Orleans,  St. 


132 


t-.:- 1 


A   HISTORY   OP   THE 


11  w 


i  :     '    i 


Louis,  Cincinnati,  and  Detroit,  associations  existed  aux- 
iliary to  the  Dublin  association. 

This  sympathetic  movement,  as  well  as  the  peculiar 
wants  of  an  increasing  class,  brought  i  number  of  Irish- 
American  journals  into  existence.  In  1822,  Dr.  Eng- 
land issued  his  "Catholic  Miscellany"  at  Charleston; 
in  the  same  vear,  Mr.  Denman  issued  his  "Truth  Tel- 
ler'*  at  New  York  ;  soon  after,  George  Pepper,  a  native 
of  Ardee,  County  Louth,  started  his  "Irish  Shield"  at 
Philadelphia,  which  gave  place  to  his  "Literary  and 
Catholic  Sentinel,"  published  at  Boston. 

In  Boston,  Mr.  Pepper  died.  He  was  the  first,  I  be- 
lieve, to  attempt  any  literary  project  exclusively  for  his 
emigrant  countrymen.  His  ' '  History  of  Ireland, '  *  though 
a  poor  performance,  was  useful  in  its  day;  his  papers 
were  always  stored  with  anecdote  .and  biography.  He 
was  often  scurrilous  and  sometimes  fulsome,  but  it  was 
the  time  of  the  tomahawk,  in  literature  as  in  war.  He 
died  poor,  and  sleeps  in  the  side  of  Bunker's  Hill.  The 
gratitude  of  an  after  time  placed  a  slab  above  his  ashes, 
and  the  only  shamrock  in  the  churchyard,  some  years 
ago,  was  found  growing  on  his  grave. 

In  1828,  1829,  and  1830,  when  the  CathoUc  spirit 
everywhere  rose  with  the  tidings  of  O'Connell's  victory, 
the  "  Catholic  Telegraph,"  in  Cincinnati,  the  "  Catholic 
Diary,"  in  New  York,  and  the  "Jesuit,"  in  Boston, 
were  added  to  the  journals  intended  for  the  Irish  in  Amer- 
ica. The  "  Jesuit "  became  the  "  Pilot,"  and  the  "  Di- 
ary," the  "  Freeman's  Journal,"  under  other  proprietors. 

The  chief  writers  for  this  class  of  newspapers,  besides 
occasional  pieces  by  the  clergy,  were,  in  New  York, 
Patrick  Sarsfield  Casscrley,  E,ev.  Dr.  Loavins,  and  John 
Augustus  Shea  ;  in  Boston,  Rev.  Dr.  0' Flaherty,  Walter 
Jpmes  Walsh,  and  others.  In  tlic  otlier  cities  the  jour- 
nals were  chiefly  in  clerical  hands. 

The  standing  topic  of  these  j(HU'nals  being  the  state 
and  hopes  of  Ireland,  it  was  a  consequence  that  any 
cheering  organization  in  Ireland  should  produce  a  corre- 
sponding one  here.    Thus,  in  1834,  and  still  more  in  1840, 


IRISH   SETTLERS   IN   NORTH   AMERICA. 


133 


when  Mr.  O'Connell  attempted  the  repeal  of  the  legisla- 
tive union  with  England,  auxiliary  societies  sprung  up  in 
every  considerable  city  of  the  United  States.  In  1842, 
Mr.  Robert  Tyler,  son  of  the  president,  joined  the  move- 
ment in  Philadelphia,  and  in  September,  1843,  he  pre- 
sided over  a  Repeal  Convention  in  New  York.  Dele- 
gates from  thirteen  states  and  one  territory  sat  in  that 
convention,  which  deliberated  for  three  days  on  its  own 
relations  to  the  cause  of  Irish  liberty.  It  adjourned,  re- 
solving to  organize  each  state  of  the  Union,  and  intending 
to  come  together  again,  whenever  the  exigencies  of  the 
cause  required  it. 

Large  contributions  of  money  were  in  this  and  the  suc- 
cessive years  forwarded  to  Ireland.  Boston  alone,  in  the 
first  six  months  of  1844,  remitted  $10,000  to  the  funds 
of  the  Irish  society.  Undivided  confidence  in  the  wis- 
dom and  power  of  Mr.  O'Connell  everywhere  existed, 
and  all  the  emigrant  children  of  Ireland  fondly  believed 
they  were  soon  to  see  their  native  island  possessed  of  a 
senate,  flag,  and  militia  of  her  own.  The  total  disap- 
pointment of  their  hopes,  in  this  instance,  would  have 
driven  any  other  people,  for  a  generation  at  least,  into 
despair. 

In  1847,  they  ceased  their  contributions  to  the  Repeal 
movement,  but  gave  most  generously  to  the  support  of 
the  famishing.  In  1848,  the  French  and  European  rev- 
olutions seemed  to  offer  a  prospect  of  a  speedy  cure  for 
Ireland's  woes.  Up  to  this  time,  "the  Young  Ireland 
party"  (so  called)  had  not  attracted  American  sympathy, 
but  no  sooner  did  they  move  with  the  revolutionary 
momentum,  than  they  found  new  and  powerful  friends  in 
America. 

This  they  had  themselves  expected.  In  the  spring  of 
that  year  they  had  arranged  to  send  Thomas  Francis 
Meagher  as  their  agent  to  America,  but  his  premature 
arrest  unfortunately  defeated  that  purpose.  Mr.  Wil- 
liam ^litcholl  was  made  their  "  bearer  of  despatches," 
and  another  gentleman,  as  a  substitute  for  Mr.  Meagher, 
was  soon  after  sent  over. 

12 


■Mi 


134 


HISTORY   OP  THE   IBISH   SETTLERS,    ETC. 


J     >,' 


:i 


The  interest  in  America  was  intensely  excited.  Skil- 
ful officers  and  engineers  volunteered  their  services ;  the 
rich  and  the  poor,  the  stranger  and  the  Celt,  all  contrib- 
uted. Thousands  of  dollars  were  placed  in  the  hands  of 
the  several  local  "  Directories,"  and,  in  many  cases,  the 
donors  did  not  wait  to  have  their  names  recorded.  Every 
European  mail  was  watched  for  with  intense  anxiety,  and 
the  very  streets  were  too  small  to  contain  the  crowds  that 
flocked  from  all  quarters  in  quest  of  news.  Grave  digni- 
taries in  church  and  state  were  infected  with  the  prevail- 
ing enthusiasm,  and  contributed  freely  to  the  patriotic 
project.  The  New  York  Directory  received,  in  a  few 
weeks,  over  $40,000  in  cash,  and  the  other  states  and 
cities  of  the  Union  would  no  doubt  have  done  equally 
well. 

It  was  evident  enough,  if  Ireland  had  taken  and  kept 
revolutionary  ground  for  three  months,  American  officers 
and  American  gold  would  not  be  wanting.  z 

It  ended  otherwise ;  and  dense  snow-clouds  of  despair 
covered  all  the  horizon  of  the  Irish  in  America ! 


■li.t 


•X 


'■   :ii 


-/> 


■iT?  -  --A 


M'li 


*  .-'  ^         - 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


THE  lEISH  FAMINES  OF  1846-7  AND  1848 — AMERICAN  SYMPATHY  —  MEETINGS  MT 
,,  PHILADELPHIA,  BOSTON  AND  NEW  YORK  —  NATIONAL  MEETING  IN  WASHINGTON 
.  .  -—  THE  MACEDONIAN  AND  JAMESTOWN  —  REFLECTIONS. 


The  most  affecting  event,  in  the  connexion  of  Ireland 
with  America,  is  the  conduct  of  the  latter  towards  the 
victims  of  the  Irish  famine,  which  began  in  the  winter  of 
1846  and  1847,  and  endured,  in  its  worst  forms,  till  the 
close  of  1848. 

The  famine  is  to  be  thus  accounted  for  :  The  act  of 
union,  in  1800,  deprived  Ireland  of  a  native  legislature. 
Her  aristocracy  emigrated  to  London.  Her  tariff  expired 
in  1826,  and,  of  course,  was  not  renewed.  Her  merchants 
and  manufacturers  withdrew  their  capital  from  trade  and 
invested  it  in  land.*  The  land !  the  land !  was  the 
object  of  universal,  illimitable  competition.  In  the  first 
twenty  years  of  the  century,  the  farmers,  if  rack-rented, 
had  still  the  war  prices.  After  the  peace,  they  had  the 
monopoly  of  the  English  provision  and  produce  markets. 
But  in  1846,  Sir  Robert  Peel  successfully  struck  at  the  old 
laws,  imposing  duties  on  foreign  corn,  and  let  in  Baltic 
wheat,  and  American  provisions  of  every  kind,  to  compete 
with  and  undersell  the  Irish  rack-rented  farmers. 

High  rents  had  produced  hardness  of  heart  in  "the 
middleman,"  extravagance  in  the  land-owner,  and  ex- 
treme poverty  in  the  peasant.  The  poor  law  commission 
of  1839  reported  that  2,300,000  of  the  agricultural 
laborers  of  Ireland  were  "paupers  ;"  that  those  immedi- 
ately above  the  lowest  rank  were  "  the  worst  clad,  worst 
fed,  and  worst  lodged"  peasantry  in   Europe.     True, 

*  Between  1820  and  1830,  two  thirds  of  all  the  manufactories  in  Ireland 
were  closed,  and  abandoned,  a»  ruinous  investments. 


I 

ii 

Iff 


|lf!i 


136 


A  fflSTORY   OF   THE 


r.  t^ 


indeed !     They  were  lodged  in  styes,  clothed  in  rags, 
and  fed  on  the  poorest  quality  of  potato. 

Partial  failures  of  this  crop  had  taken  place  for  a  suc- 
cession of  seasons.  So  regularly  did  these  failures  occur, 
that  William  Cobbett  and  other  skilful  agriculturalists 
had  foretold  their  final  destruction,  years  before.  Still 
the  crops  of  the  summer  of  1846  looked  fair  and  sound 
to  the  eye.  The  dark  green  crispy  leaves  and  yellow 
and  purple  blossoms  of  the  potato  fields  were  a  cheerful 
feature  in  every  landscape.  By  July,  however,  the 
terrible  fact  became  but  too  certain.  From  every  town- 
land  within  the  four  seas  tidings  came  to  the  capital 
that  the  people's  food  was  blasted — utterly,  hopelessly 
blasted.  Incredulity  gave  way  to  panic,  panic  to  de- 
mands on  the  imperial  government  to  stop  the  export 
of  grain,  to  estabHsh  public  granaries,  and  to  give  the 
peasantry  such  reproductive  employment  as  would  enable 
them  to  purchase  food  enough  to  keep  soul  and  body  to- 
gether. By  a  report  of  the  ordnance  captain,  Larcom, 
it  appeared  there  were  grain  crops  more  than  sufficient 
to  support  the  whole  population  —  a  cereal  harvest  esti- 
mated at  four  hundred  millions  of  dollars,  as  prices 
were.  But  to  all  remonstrances,  petitions,  and  proposals, 
the  imperial  economists  had  but  one  answer,  "  they  could 
not  interfere  with  the  ordinary  currents  of  trade."  O'Con- 
nell's  proposal.  Lord  George  Bentinck's,  O'Brien's,  the 
proposals  of  the  society  called  "The  Irish  Council,"  all 
received  the  same  answer.  Fortunes  were  made  and 
lost  in  gambling  over  this  sudden  trade  in  human  subsist- 
ence, and  ships  laden  to  the  gunwales  sailed  out  of  Irish 
ports,  while  the  charities  of  the  world  were  coming  in. 

In  August  authentic  cases  of  death  by  famine,  with  the 
verdict  "  starvation,"  were  reported.  The  first  authen- 
tic case  thrilled  the  country,  like  an  ill- wind.  From 
twos  and  threes  they  rose  to  tens,  and  in  September, 
such  inquests  were  held,  and  the  same  sad  verdict  re- 
peated twenty  times  in  the  day.  Then  Ireland,  the  hos- 
pitable among  the  nations,  smitten  with  famine,  deserted 
by  her  imperial  masters,  lifted  up  her  voice,  and  uttered 


lii 


IRISH   S£TTLERS   IN   NORTH   AMERICA. 


137 


that  cry  of  awful  anguish,  which  shook  the  ends  of  the 
earth. 

The  Czar,  the  Sultan,  and  the  Pope,  sent  their  rou- 
bles and  their  Pauls.  The  Pasha  of  Egypt,  the  Shah 
of  Persia,  the  Emperor  of  China,  the  Rajahs  of  India, 
conspired  to  do  for  Ireland,  what  her  so-styled  rulers 
refused  to  do,  —  to  keep  her  young  and  old  people  liv- 
ing in  the  land. 

America  did  more  in  this  work  of  mercy  than  all  the 
rest  of  the  world.  On  the  9th  of  November,  1846,  a 
number  of  gentlemen  assembled  at  the  Globe  Hotel, 
South  Sixth  street,  Philadelphia,  convened  by  the  fol- 
lowing circular,  issued  by  the  venerable  Alderman  Binns  : 

*'  In  Ireland,  the  men,  women  and  children  at  this  time 
are,  everywhere,  from  the  north  to  the  south,  and  from 
the  east  to  the  west,  falling  victims  to  hunger  and  the 
diseases  consequent  upon  hunger.  The  heart  sickens  in 
the  knowledge  that  thousands  of  people,  among  the  most 
hospitable  on  the  earth,  are  perishing  from  famine  !  We 
are  in  a  land  abounding  with  food  of  all  sorts,  good  and 
wholesome,  for  man  and  every  creature  that  lives. 

*'  It  is  thought  to  be  the  duty  of  this  city,  which  has 
so  often  been  among  the  foremost  in  works  of  mercy  and 
charity,  to  do  something  for  the  famishing  people  of  Ire- 
land. What  that  something  shall  be,  we  do  not  under- 
take to  say.  To  consider  what  is  best  to  be  done,  and  the 
best  way  of  doing  it,  a  meeting  will  be  held  in  South 
Sixth  street,  between  Chestnut  and  Walnut  streets,  at 
the  Globe  Hotel,  on  Thursday  evening,  at  seven  o'clock  ; 
at  that  time  and  place,  you  are  requested  to  attend.  As 
this  meeting  is  intended  to  be  select,  and  that  business 
shall  be  entered  upon  at  the  hour  proposed,  you  are 
requested  to  be  punctual  in  your  attendance." 

"  This  is  believed  to  have  been  the  first  meeting  of  a 
public  character,  held  in  America,  on  the  subject  of  Irish 
relief."*  An  important  public  meeting  followed,  which 
was  addressed  by  the  most  distinguished  citizens  includ- 


*  Report  of  the  Gen.  Ex.  Committee  of  Philadelphia,  p.  5. 

12* 


138 


■'?^';n! 


A   HISTORY   OF   THE 


[i ; 


f    r 


ing  Mayor  Swift  and  Hon.  Horace  Binney,  in  favor  of  a 
general  contribution  throughout  Pennsylvania.  ^-frr  A 

Alderman  Binns  concluded  a  few  apposite  remarks 
with  the  following  preamble  and  resolution,  which  were 
adopted  unanimously  :  —  '    '  "~'^ 

*'  In  1775,  before  these  United  States  had  existence,  — 
before  her  stars  had  lighted  her  to  glory,  or  her  stripes 
had  been  felt  by  her  foes,  —  before  the  voice  of  indepen- 
dence had  been  heard  on  her  mountains,  or  the  shouts  of 
victory  had  echoed  through  her  valleys,  — her  statesmen 
and  patriots  assembled  at  their  seat  of  government,  in  their 
future  Hall  of  Independence,  and,  by  a  public  address, 
made  known  to  the  world  her  grateful  and  affectionate  sym- 
pathy and  respect  for  the  Parliament  and  people  of  Ireland, 
kindly  inviting  her  people  to  come  and  inhabit  *  the  fer- 
tile regions  of  America.'  Many  thousands  accepted  the 
invitation,  and  by  their  toil  and  their  sufferings,  their 
sweat  and  their  blood,  assisted  to  make  *  Great,  Glorious, 
and  Free,'  the  country  which  had  adopted  them. 

**  Since  that  invitation,  threescore  and  ten  years  have 
passed,  and  the  United  States  have  become  a  great  na- 
tion ;  her  stars  and  stripes  float  freely  over  every  sea  ; 
she  is  a  sure  refuge,  yea,  a  tower  of  strength  for  the 
oppressed  of  every  clime,  and  her  voice  is  respected 
among  the  mightiest  powers  of  the  earth ;  but  dark, 
deep,  and  general  distress,  with  the  gloom  of  night,  over- 
shadows unhappy  Ireland  ;  her  people  perish  under  the 
pangs  of  hunger,  and  are  swept  by  pestilence  ;  they 
exist  in  shelterless  cabins,  with  scant  garments  to  cover 
them,  and  fall  by  thousands  into  unwept,  too  often  uncov- 
ered, graves.  A  knowledge  of  their  miseries  has  crossed 
the  Atlantic,  and  touched  the  hearts  of  the  statesmen 
and  patriots  of  the  United  States,  and  again  they  have 
assembled  at  their  seat  of  government,  and  invited  their 
fellow-citizens  to  meet  in  their  cities,  towns,  and  vil- 
lages, to  consider,  compassionate,  and  relieve  the  heart- 
broken, the  famishing,  the  dying  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren of  Ireland  ;  therefore  be  it,  and  it  hereby  is, 

^^  Resolved,  That  the  statesmen  and  patriots  of  *  the 


IRISH   SETTLERS  IN  NORTH  AMERICA. 


139 


low  and  humble  and  of  the  high  and  mighty'  states  of 
ALierica  have,  in  the  conduct  stated,  given  illustrious 
examples  to  those  of  all  nations  of  the  earth,  deserved 
the  thanks  of  the  people  whom  they  have  faithfully  rep- 
resented, and  reinsured  to  them  and  to  their  country 
the  heart- warm  gratitude  and  renewed  attachment  of  the 
people  of  Ireland." 

An  influential  city  committee  was  organized.  By 
May,  1847,  they  had  received  above  $48,000  in  cash, 
and  $20,000  in  articles  suited  for  shipping.  They  loaded 
three  barks  and  four  brigs,  for  various  Irish  ports,  all 
which  safely  arrived.  Munster  and  Connaught  received 
the  greater  part.  In  their  closing  report,  at  the  end  of 
1847,  the  committee,  among  other  resolutions,  passed 
the  following :  — 

"While  we  gratefully  acknowledge  the  services  cor- 
dially rendered  to  us  and  to  the  cause  of  humanity,  by 
individuals  in  various  parts  of  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio  in 
particular,  we  feel  ourselves  called  upon  in  an  especial 
manner  to  make  known  our  high  sense  of  the  very  impor- 
tant assistance  given  to  us  by  our  esteemed  friend  and 
fellow-citizen,  Allen  Cuthbert.  Not  only  have  we  had 
the  free  use  of  his  warehouses  for  the  deposit  of  bread- 
stuffs,  but  the  benefit  of  his  constant  and  anxious  services 
and  experience  in  receiving  them  from  every  quarter, 
and  in  shipping  them  to  Ireland.  Conduct  such  as  this 
confers  honor  not  only  on  himself,  but  on  the  community 
of  which  he  is  a  worthy  member." 

New  York  and  Boston  were  not  behind  Philadelphia, 
nor  the  Grinnells,  Lawrences,  and  Everetts,  behind  the 
Cuthberts  and  Binneys.*    In  the  spring  of  1847,  a  national 


the 


*In  his  address  on  the  subject,  in  Boston,  Mr.  Everett  recalled  a  reminis- 
cence of  Colonial  times,  which  must  have  told  powertully  on  his  audience. 

In  the  prosecution  of  the  Narraganset  war,  with  King  Philip,  the  Cape 
towns,  in  which  were  already  some  Irish  families,  contracted  a  heavy  debt. 
The  city  of  Dublin,  being  made  aware  of  the  condition  of  the  settlers, 
remitted  jG124  10s.  "for  the  relief  of  such  as  were  impoverished,  dis- 
tressed, and  in  necessity,  from  the  war."  —  Pratt's  Hist,  of  Eastham,  Well- 
fleet.,  and  Orleans.     Yarmouth,  1844. 

Another  writer  adds  :  "  The  donation  from  Ireland,  is  a  gratifying  proof 
of  the  generous  influence  of  Christian  sympathies,  and  is  supposed  to  have 


^'s«i*^..a*<-v„ ,,. 


140 


A  mSTOBT  OF  THE 


1 1  ;ii' 


meeting  was  held  at  Washington,  at  which  Mr.  Dallas, 
Vice-President  of  the  United  States,  took  the  chair. 
Mr.  Webster,  Mr.  Cass,  and  other  eminent  senators, 
spoke.  The  government  placed  two  vessels  of  war, 
"  The  Macedonian**  and  **  The  Jamestown,*'  at  the  dis- 
posal of  the  committee  sitting  in  Boston  and  New  York. 
Boston  and  New  England,  it  is  calculated,  contributed 
nearly  a  quarter  of  a  million  of  dollars,  and  New  York 
city, and  state  an  equal  amount.  The  Protestant  as  well 
as  the  Catholic  pulpit  resounded  with  appeals  for  "  aid 
to  Ireland.^*  Sect  and  party  were  forgotten,  and  all- 
embracing  Charity  ruled  the  New  World,  unopposed. 
America  was  even  more  blessed  in  the  giving,  than  Ire- 
land was  in  receiving,  such  assistance. 

It  was  the  noblest  sight  of  the  century,  those  ships  of 
war,  laden  with  life  and  manned  by  mercy,  entering  the 
Irish  waters.  England's  flag  drooped  above  the  spoil 
^he  was  stealing  away  from  the  famishing,  as  the  Amer- 
ican frigates  passed  hers,  inward  bound,  deep  with  char- 
itable freights.  Here  were  the  ships  of  a  state  but 
seventy  years  old,  —  a  state  without  a  consolidated 
treasury,  —  a  state,  but  the  other  day,  a  group  of  uncon- 
nected struggling  colonies.  And  here,  in  the  fulness 
of  her  heart  and  her  harvest,  she  had  come  to  feed  the 
enslaved  and  enervated  vassals  of  Victoria,  in  the  very 
presence  of  her  throne.  If  public  shame  or  sensibility 
could  locaUze  itself  on  any  individual  of  so  vile  and  vast 
a  despotism,  what  must  not  that  individual  have  felt ! 

Those  who  know  what  it  requires  to  feed  an  army,  may 
imagine  that,  abundant  as  was  America's  gift,  it  was  not 
effectual  to  banish  famine.  Oh,  no  !  tens  of  thousands, 
hundreds  of  thousands,  perished  miserably.  But  it  pre- 
served many  thousands  of  precious  lives,  and  gave  an 
undying  feeling  of  redemption  to  come,  to  all  who  lived 
at  that  day,  in  Ireland.  The  Central  Relief  Committees 
of  Dublin  and  Cork  accounted  for  the  trusts  committed  to 
them.   The  * '  Irish  Confederation  * '  made  national  acknowl- 

been  procured  through  the  exertions  of  the  Rev.  Nathaniel  Mather,  at  that 
time  8  minister  of  the  congregational  denomination  in  Dublin."  —  Ibid. 


IRISH   SETTLERS  IN  NORTH  AMERICA. 


141 


In 


edgment  of  Ireland's  indebtedness  to  Mr.  Dallas,  and  to 
Captain  Forbes  of  "  The  Jamestown."*  Many  an  Irish 
soldier,  on  the  battle-fields  of  Mexico,  did  the  like,  in 
deeds,  instead  of  words. 

*  It  is  a  source  of  sincere  satisfaction  to  the  present  writer,  that  both 
addresses  were  prepared  by  him,  and  adopted  by  a  committee,  of  which  Duffy, 
O'Brien,  Meagher,  and  Mitchel,  were  members. 

kW      "      .     '  :, 

'^J.ji      ,  '         ,         -  • 

^h^"     '-',.,•:  :■ 


l..^' 


k? 


Siy 


-it*: 


■n    -. 


.«■■--  r 


if 


■    1  «■">  * 


CHAPTER    XX. 


vl 


J      :' 


"KATIVE  AMERICAN  "  MOVEMENT  OF  1844  —  THE  PHILADELPHIA  RIOTS  —  THEIft 
PROBABLE  ORIQIN  ^  CONDUCT  OF  THE  MILITARY  AND  MAGISTRATES  —  SIMILAR 
MOVEMENTS  IN  NEW  YORK,  BOSTON,  AND  OTHER  TOWNS  —  RE-ACTION  —  RB- 
IXECTIONa  ON  THE  PRINCIPLES  INVOLVED  IN  THIS  CONTROVERSY. 

An  epoch  in  this  history,  which  it  would  be  culpable 
to  pass  over  in  parenthesis,  is  formed  by  "  the  Native 
American"  organization  of  the  year  1844.  In  all  our 
great  seaports  there  has  existed,  more  or  less,  from  the 
beginning  of  the  Federal  government,  a  feeling  opposed 
to  foreign  emigration,  —  opposed,  especially,  to  Irish 
Catholic  emigration.  This  feeling  has  been  manifested 
from  time  to  time,  by  fanatics  of  extreme  Protestant 
opinions  ;  by  merchants  and  professional  men  of  a  pro- 
British  bias,  and  by  native  workmen  who  have  been 
brought  into  competition  with,  and  frequently  underbid 
by,  emigrant  workmen.  But  the  two  latter  sections, 
though  much  the  more  reasonable  in  their  p  judice,  have 
never  been  able  to  affect  public  sentiment  with  anything 
like  the  influence  created  by  the  ultra  Protestant  agita- 
tors. 

Philadelphia  city  and  its  Liberties  had  long  been  the 
home  of  a  theological  controversy,  which  reached  its 
acme  at  the  beginning  of  the  year  1844.  The  Boston 
riots  of  1834,  the  i^ew  York  "  school  question,"  (as  to 
whether  the  Protestant  Scriptures  should  be  used  as  a 
public  school-book,)  the  increase  of  emigration,  had  all 
been  artfully  seized  upon  by  the  local  speculators  in  ex- 
citement, who  hoped  to  fish  up  civic  honors  from  the 
troubled  waters  of  discord.  During  the  first  three  months 
of  the  year  the  most  inflammatory  appeals  "were  made  to 
the  passions  of  the  Protestants  of  Philadelphia.  A  paper 
called  The  Sun  became  the  daily  organ  of  disturbance, 
and  "an  English  Jew,"  named  Levins,  and  others,  the 


n 


IRISH   SETTLERS   IN   NORTH   AMERICA. 


143 


heads  of  the  new  association.  The  firemen,  and  many  of 
the  military,  were  ardent  disciples  of  this  school,  whose 
avowed  principles  were,  —  1.  That  no  foreigner  should 
be  naturalized  under  a  residence  of  twenty-one  years ; 
2.  That  the  Catholic  religion  was  dangerous  to  the  coun- 
try;  3.  That  the  Protestant  Scriptures  should  be  the 
foundation  of  all  common  school  education. 
\^  On  the  6th  and  7th  of  May,  Kensington  and  South- 
wark  were  the  scenes  of  the  first  demonstrations  against 
the  Catholic  churches  and  convent.  Upon  the  former 
day,  a  party  of  Nativists  had  fired  from  an  engine-house 
upon  some  Irish  residents  of  Kensington,  killing  one  and 
wounding  others ;  whereupon,  the  friends  of  the  attacked, 
in  large  numbers,  issued  out  to  capture  the  assailants.* 
These  being  reinforced,  the  riot  became  general,  and 
amid  the  din  the  cry  was  raised,  "  To  the  Nunnery  !  " 
That  building  was  soon  dismantled,  the  nuns  and  orphans 
expelled  with  blows  and  curses,  its  sacred  vessels  shame- 
ful!} defiled,  and  its  many  graves  violated.  Saint  Au- 
gustine's church  was  next  attacked,  and  burned  to  the 
ground.  In  its  tower,  the  old  clock  of  Independence 
Hall,  which  had  struck  the  hour  of  independence,  was 
consumed ;  and  all  its  sacred  furniture  was  destroyed. 
One  fragment  of  the  wall  alone  remained,  where,  above 
the  marks  of  the  smoke  and  flame,  might  be  seen,  for 
months,  the  picture  of  an  eye,  with  the  words,  "  The 
Lord  seeth."  This  was  all  that  had  been  left  of  Saint 
Augustine's.  Saint  Michael's  church  shared  the  same 
fate,  and  for  nearly  a  week  the  city  was  in  the  hands  of 
the  mob. 

The  military  companies,  the  municipal  officers,  and  the 
press,  (with  one  honorable  exception,!)  connived  at  out- 
rage after  outrage,  until  the  indignant  expressions  of 
.  opinion  from  other  cities  seem  to  have  roused  the  guar- 
dians of  the  law  to  a  consciousness  of  their  neglected 

♦Testimony  of  Clarke,  Hague,  Wood,  Mathews,  Fougeray,  &c.,  native 
citizens  of  Philadelphia,  before  the  city  Grand  Jury,  1844. 

f  J.  S.  Du  Solle,  editor  of  the  Philadelphia  <S^irt7  of  the  Times,  displayed, 
throughout  the  entire  riot,  a  courage  and  ability  as  admirable  as  thev  are 
rare,  in  times  of  trial  like  these. 


144 


A   HISTORY  OP  THE 


Ff'!|. 
• : !-. 

.    ■-'   ■  i! 
*     "      I- 


m 
■  If 


H  pi 

If  ''^ 

1  1 

||i 

duties.  Sheriffs  and  generals  apologized  to  the  rioters 
for  interfering  with  their  projects,  and  induced  them  to 
postpone  their  riot  and  arson  for  a  short  interval. 

The  scene  of  the  July  riot  was  Southwark,  on  the  other 
side  of  the  city,  hut  men  were  now  in  command  of  the 
military,  who  resolved  not  to  temporize.  A  contempora- 
neous account  runs  thus  :  —  '    ' 

.  **  On  Friday,  the  5th  inst.,  information  was  communi- 
cated by  letter  to  the  pastor  of  the  church  of  Saint  Philip 
Neri,  Southwark,  that  it  would  be  attacked  on  that  even- 
ing. Having  already  taken  some  measures  of  precaution, 
with  the  approbation  of  Major  General  Patterson,  and 
authority  having  been  r'^iceived  from  his  Excellency  the 
Governor,  to  form  a  company  for  the  protection  of  the 
church,  some  fire-arms  were  procured,  and  introduced 
into  the  basement  in  the  afternoon.  This  was  an  occa- 
sion of  a  gathering  of  persons  in  front  of  the  church, 
who  industriously  reported  that  a  design  on  the  lives  of 
citizens  was  entertained.  The  sheriff  was  soon  on  the 
ground,  and,  to  remove  all  apprehension,  took  from  the 
church  the  arms.  A  committee  from  the  mob  was 
allowed  to  search  it  thoroughly,  and  clear  it  of  all  fire- 
arms. The  church,  however,  continued  to  be  besieged 
by  the  mob,  but  no  attack  was  made.  On  Saturday  even- 
ing. General  Cadwallader  attempted  to  disperse  the  mob, 
and,  on  their  refusal,  ordered  the  military  to  aim ;  but 
Charles  Naylor,  the  late  Whig  member  of  Congress  from 
the  third  district,  cried  out,  Don't  fire  !  and  the  military 
did  not  fire.  Mr.  Naylor  was  put  under  arrest,  and  de- 
tained in  the  basement  of  the  church  until  Sunday,  at  eleven 
o'clock,  A.  M.,  when  the  mob,  having  obtained  from  a  ves- 
sel lying  at  the  wharf,  two  pieces  of  ordnance,  brought 
one  piece  to  the  front  of  the  church,  and  with  a  battering- 
ram  beat  down  one  of  its  doors,  and  carried  away  Mr. 
Naylor  in  triumph.  The  captain  of  the  Montgomery  Hi- 
bernia  Greeks,  with  a  veyy  small  force,  had  been  left  in 
charge  of  the  church  and  of  the  prisoners,  about  thirteen 
having  been  put  ujidei?  arrest,  who  were,  however,  dis- 
charged by  the  magistrates.     A  small  body  of  the  Markle 


IRISH    SETTLERS    IN   NORTH   AMERICA. 


145 


and  Mechanic  Rifle  companies  were  sent  to  his  aid.  The 
mob  clamored  for  the  dismissal  of  the  Montgomery  Hi- 
bernia  Greens,  and  promised  to  let  them  pass  unmolested, 
threatening  destruction  if  they  continued  to  defend  the 
church.  Seeing  themselves  entirely  unsupported,  they 
consented  to  leave  it,  and  came  forth,  not  with  reversed 
arms,  as  some  papers  have  misstated.  They  had  not  pro- 
ceeded far,  when  the  mob  assailed  them,  and  they  defended 
themselves  by  firing  as  they  retreated  ;  but,  overpowere.d 
by  numbers,  they  at  length  broke,  each  one  seeking  to 
save  his  own  life.  Robert  Gallagher,  a  private,  sought 
refuge  in  a  house  in  Small  street,  and  was  pursued  and 
inhumanly  beaten  almost  to  death.  The  mob,  with  a  bat- 
tering-ram, broke  down  the  wall  lately  erected  near  the 
church,  and  forced  an  entrance  into  the  church  itself, 
which  they  desecrated,  and  attempted  several  times  to 
fire. 

**  In  the  evening,  about  eight  o'clock,  General  Cad- 
wallader,  with  a  part  of  the  first  division,  arrived  on  the 
ground,  and  got  possession  of  the  church.  The  mob 
soon  got  into  collision  with  the  military,  some  of  them 
attempting  to  wrest  the  arms  from  them.  By  command 
of  their  officer  they  fired,  and  six  or  seven  persons  were 
killed.  The  mob  rallied  with  desperate  resolution,  and 
used  effectually  their  fire-arms,  the  military  maintaining 
their  position  bravely.  Cannon  were  employed  on  both 
sides,  and  a  number  killed  and  wounded  ;  how  many,  it 
is  not  known.  Colonel  Pleasenton  was  slightly  wounded  j 
and  Captain  R.  K.  Scott,  commander  of  the  Cadwallader 
Grays,  dangerously,  but,  it  is  now  hoped,  not  mortally. 
Sergeant  Guier,  of  the  Germantown  Blues,  was  killed. 
Corporal  Henry  G.  Troutman  received  a  wound,  of  which 
he  has  since  died.  The  military  took  one  or  two  pieces 
of  ordnance  from  the  rioters,  and  made  a  few  arrests, 
On  Monday,  the  mob  increased  in  number,  and  force,  an4 
violence,  threatening  to  exterminate  the  military,  The 
civil  authorities  of  Southwark,  fearing  a  desperate  and 
bloody  collision,  requested  the  troops  to  be  withdrawn, 
and  expressed  their  confidence  that  peace  would  be  re- 

13 


!9>  '-•^■^l^^^^sl^PS^S^^^^^^tbhr: 


146 


A   fflSTORY   OP  THE 


^*i 


I' 


ii 


\Uii 


stored.  Some  acts  of  violence  were,  however,  committed 
on  some  Irishmen,  after  the  withdrawal  of  the  troops. 
The  governor  arrived  in  the  city,  and  issued  a  proclama- 
tion requiring  all  to  be  disarmed,  unless  those  who  report 
themselves,  and  are  authorized  to  preserve  the  peace." 

The  decided  conduct  of  the  authorities  at  Southwark 
put  an  end  to  the  Philadelphia  riots,  and  every  attempt 
to  "get  up"  similar  demonstrations  in  New  York  and 
Boston  signally  failed.  In  the  former  city,  the  life  of  the 
Catholic  bishop  was  threatened,  and,  in  the  latter,  the 
office  of  The  Pilots  (then  edited  by  the  present  writer,) 
was  placed  under  the  formal  protection  of  the  city  au- 
thorities. This  was  a  very  necessary  step,  since  that 
journal  was  then  the  only  one,  in  the  state  which  con- 
tains Mount  Benedict,  which  dared  to  defend  the  church, 
or  to  stigmatize,  as  they  deserved,  the  church-burglars 
and  women-assaulters  of  Philadelphia.* 

A  political  party,  animated  by  the  principles,  but 
rejecting  the  tactics,  of  Kensington  and  Southwark, 
enjoyed  a  short  success.  In  New  York,  they  elected 
Mr.  James  Harper,  mayor  ;  in  Boston,  Mr.  Davis  ;  and 
in  Phihidelphia,  Mr.  Levins  to  Congress.  Several  pub- 
lic men,  hitherto  much  respected,  deceived  by  this  hectic 
flush  of  victory,  permitted  them  to  use  their  names, 
among  whom  the  adopted  citizens  saw,  with  deep  pain, 
the  names  of  Major  General  Scott  and  Daniel  Webster. 

In  1845,  they  again  succeeded  in  electing  some  civic 
officers  in  the  same  cities ;  but,  in  1846,  they  utterly 
failed  in  their  political  designs,  and  since  then  the  party 
has  dwindled  down  into  a  secret  trades'  combination. 

A  national  party  never  could  have  been  organized  on 
that  "platform."  The  west,  that  counts  its  growth  by 
the  shipful  of  emigrants  crossing  the  Atlantic,  the  labor- 
market,  which  would  otherwise  have  no  regulating  me- 

*  The  familiar  phrase,  "cowards  and  sons  of  cowards,"  was  applied,  at 
the  time  of  the  second  series  of  Phihidelphia  riots,  to  the  nativist  faction, 
by  the  present  writer.  It  occurs  ia  a  lengthy  article,  in  which  he  labored  to 
•how  that,  instead  of  representing  the  Washingtons  and  Jeffersons  of  the 
past,  as  they  claimed,  that  paity  represented  the  Arnolds,  Deanes,  and  Hulls, 
if  they  had  any  American  parentage,  —  which  was  disputed. 


IRISH   SETTLERS   IN  NORTH   AMERICA. 


147 


if 


dium,  the  youth  of  the  continent,  the  justice  of  the  con- 
stitution, all  protest  against  excluding  emigration.  To 
admit  emigration,  but  prohibit  naturalization,  is  to  admit 
the  danger,  and  cast  away  the  protection.  Whosoever 
wants  to  disarm  foreign  emigration  of  its  anti- American 
tendencies,  let  him  naturalize  the  emigrant.  That  is  the 
only  way  in  which  he  can  effect  his  object. 
-^  The  truth  of  this  argument  soon  began  to  be  felt,  and, 
for  several  years  past,  no  public  man  has  been  elected  on 
"Nativist "  ground.  The  former  candidates  of  that  fac- 
tion have  paid  for  their  fatal  success,  by  utter  extinction, 
and  even  Mr.  Levins  no  longer  enjoys  a  seat  in  Congress, 
or  any  other  public  position. 


I 


■?»•.: 


■  ^'.'-"^    \fit^'\r"9 


CHAPTER    XXI. 


m 


l'!'^ 


>•:   H:> 


80CTH   AMERICAN    EEV0LUTI0N8  —  COOPERATION    OF   THE   CNITED    STATES  —  IRISH 

STAFF      OF      SIMON      BOLIVAR  —  THE     o'HIQGINSES  —  MACKENNA O'CONNOR 

O'CARROLL  —  CAPTAIN    ESMONDE  —  O'REILLY  —  THE    O'BRIENS  —  ISSUE    OF    THE 
80CTH  AMERICAN  STRUOQLE. 

During  the  generation,  of  whose  good  and  evil  actions 
we  have  been  discoursing,  a  series  of  events  transpired 
in  South  America,  which  exercised  a  material  influence 
over  the  Irish  settlers  at  the  north,  and  deserves  to  be 
mentioned  in  detail,  in  this  place  : 

The  independence  of  South  America  dates  from  the 
year  1808,  and  its  establishment  from  the  year  1823, 
when  the  last  of  the  Spanish  forces  evacuated  Caraccas. 
That  struggle  of  fifteen  years  was  marked  by  events 
worthy  of  the  pen  of  the  greatest  of  historians. 

The  contest  might  be  said  to  have  three  divisions,  — 
Bolivar's  in  Columbia,  O'Higgins*  in  Chili,  and  that  of 
the  Argentine  Republic  on  the  Rio  de  la  Plata. 

Of  the  life  and  actions  of  Simon  Bolivar,  this  is  not 
the  place  to  speak.  We  introduce  his  name  here,  as 
bringing  with  it  that  of  many  distinguished  Irish  soldiers, 
who  were  constantly  by  his  side.  Ireland  felt  a  deep  in- 
terest in  his  cause,  and,  in  1817,  sent  out  her  Irish  brig- 
ade, under  the  command  of  General  Devcreux,  a  native  of 
Wexford.*  Bolivar  seems  to  have  reciprocated  the  par- 
tiality of  that  nation,  his  stuff  being  in  great  part  com- 
posed of  Irish  officers. 

**  The  doctor  who  constantly  attended  him,"  says  the 
English  General  Miller,  "  was  Dr.  Moore,  an  Irishman, 
who  had  followed  the  Liberator  from  Venezuela  to  Peru. 
He  is  a  man  of  great  skill  in  his  profession,  and  devot- 
edly attached  to  the  person  of  the  Liberator.  Bolivar's 
first  aide-de-camp.  Colonel  O'Leary,  is  a  nephew  of  the 

•  See  Charles  Phillips'  Speech  at  the  Farewell  Dinner  given  to  Dever- 
eux  ;  — Phillips'  Speeches,  passim.  General  Deveroux,  vvc  believe,  recently 
died,  old  and  blind,  near  Nashville,  Tenessee. 


;A^ft:i 


as 


ys  the 
bman, 
Peru, 
devot- 
livar'3 
of  the 

Dever- 

receutly 


IRISH   SETTLERS  IN   NORTH   AMERICA. 


149 


celebrated  Father  O'Leary.  In  1818,  he  embarked,  at 
the  age  of  seventeen,  in  the  cause  of  South  American 
independence,  in  which  he  has  served  with  high  distinc- 
tion, having  been  present  at  almost  every  general  action 
fought  in  Colombia,  and  has  received  several  wounds. 
He  has  been  often  employed  on  diplomatic  missions,  and 
in  charges  of  great  responsibility,  in  which  he  has  always 
acquitted  himself  with  great  ability. 

**  Lieutenant  Colonel  Ferguson,  already  mentioned  as 
a  distinguished  ofl&cer  of  rifles,  was  also  an  aide-de-camp. 
He  too  was  an  Irishman  by  birth.  When  a  mere  youth, 
he  quitted  a  counting-house  at  Demerara,  and  joined  the 
patriot  standard.  During  the  war  of  extermination,  he 
was  taken  by  the  Spaniards.  He  was  led,  with  several 
others,  from  a  dungeon  at  La  Guayra,  for  the  purpose 
of  being,  shot  on  the  sea-shore.  Having  only  a  pair  of 
t?  Misers  on,  his  fair  skin  was  conspicuous  amongst  his 
V  tunate  swarthy  companions,  and  attracted  the  atten- 
.i^/u  of  the  boat's  crew  of  an  English  man-of-war,  casu- 
ally on  the  strand.  One  of  the  sailors  ran  up  to  him,  and 
asked  if  he  was  an  Englishman.  Ferguson  was  too  much 
absorbed  by  the  horror  of  his  situation  to  give  an  answer ; 
but,  on  the  question  being  repeated,  he  replied,  *  I  am 
an  Irishman.'  *  I  too  am  an  Irishman,'  said  the  sailor, 
*  and,  by  Jesus,  no  Spanish  rascals  shall  murder  a  coun- 
tryman of  mine  in  daylight  if  I  can  help  it !  '  Upon 
which,  he  ran  oif  to  his  officer,  who  interceded  with  the 
Spanish  governor,  and  the  life  of  Ferguson  was  saved. 
He  related  this  incident  to  Miller,  who  has  forgotten  the 
name  of  the  English  man-of-war,  and  also  that  of  the 
generous  preserver  of  the  gallant  Ferguson.  This  unfor- 
tunate officer  fell  a  sacrifice  in  the  defence  of  Bolivar,  on 
the  night  of  the  conspiracy  at  Bogota,  in  September, 
1828.  It  is  a  matter  of  regret  that  we  do  not  possess 
sufficient  data  to  give  that  full  biographical  account  of 
the  above-named  officers  to  which  their  merits  and  ser- 
vices so  fully  entitle  them."* 

*  Memoirs  of  Gen.  Miller,  vol.  ii.,  pp.  S33— 934. 
13* 


150 


A  HISTORY   OF  THE 


UVi!ii{X 


1 


^  J-; 


'li' 


In  Chili,  the  Irish  had  been  still  more  distinguished. 
Don  Ambrosio  0*Higgins,  the  last  captain-general,  had 
planted  new  trades  and  towns,  opened  canals,  deepened 
rivers  and  harbors,  and,  in  a  thousand  other  ways,  pro- 
moted the  interest  of  that  province.  His  son,  Don  Ber- 
nardo, a  native  of  Chili,  inherited  all  his  enterprise,  and 
more  than  his  patriotism,  and,  under  him  as  supreme 
director.  Chili  successfully  struggled  for  its  independence 
of  Spain.  The  first  four  years  of  his  command,  assailed 
by  force  without  and  faction  within,  were  the  years  of 
his  trial  and  his  glory.  A  fellow-soldier  has  recorded 
them  in  the  vivid  language  of  a  witness : 

**  Colonel  Don  Bernardo  O'Higgins,  who,  on  the  24th 
of  November,  1813,  succeeded  Carrera  in  the  command 
of  the  army,  had  distinguished  himself  for  personal  cour- 
age and  rectitude  of  conduct ;  whilst  the  prudence  and 
talents  of  Mackenna  made  up  in  some  measure  for  the 
deficiency  of  discipline  and  want  of  organization  in  the 
patriot  forces. 

**The  independents  were  formed  into  two  brigades; 
one  under  O'Higgins,  in  Concepcion,  the  other  under 
Mackenna,  at  Membrillar,  near  Chilian. 

"  About  this  time  the  royalist  cause  was  strengthened 
by  a  reinforcement  from  Lima,  under  the  command  of 
General  Gainza,  whose  personal  and  professional  qualities 
rendered  him  a  formidable  enemy  ;  but,  in  spite  of  these 
changes,  almost  a  year  passed  without  producing  any 
important  occurrence. 

"  On  the  19th  of  March,  1814,  Mackenna  repulsed,  at 
Membrillar,  a  sharp  attack  of  General  Gainza,  who,  on 
the  following  day,  was  again  worsted  by  the  corps  of 
O'Higgins,  hastening  from  Concepcion  to  the  support  of 
Mackenna.*  Discouraged  by  these  rencontres,  Gainza 
left  the  patriot  brigades  behind  him,  and  marched  to- 
wards the  capital,  an  open  city  without  a  garrison.  The 
movement  was  made  under  the  supposition  that  O'Hig- 
gins would  be  unable  to  follow  for  want  of  horses.  — 


•  This  officer,  a  native  of  Ireland,  was  killed  by  one  of  the  Carreras,  in  a 
duel  fought  at  Buenos  Ayres,  in  1814. 


[shed. 
I,  had 
pened 
,  pro- 
L  Ber- 
3,  and 
preme 
idence 
ssailed 
sirs  of 
3orded 

3  24th 
amand 
I  cour- 
ce  and 
■Qv  the 
in  the 

^ades ; 
under 

thened 
ind  of 
iialities 
f  these 
ig  any 

Ised,  at 
^ho,  on 
)rps  of 
)ort  of 
Gainza 
icd  to- 
The 
O'Hig- 
rses.  — 

reraa,  in  a 


IRISH   SETTLERS   IN  NORTH  AMERICA. 


151 


Gainza  crossed  the  river  Maule  eighty  leagues  south  of 
Santiago,  and  took  the  city  of  Talca,  but  not  without  an 
heroic,  though  unavailing,  opposition  from  a  party  of  the 
inhabitants,  who,  unprovided  with  means  of  defence,  per- 
ished in  the  vain  attempt  to  preserve  the  town. 

**  The  people  of  Santiago  ascribed  the  loss  of  Talca  to 
the  negligence  of  the  executive.  It  was  therefore  con- 
sidered opportune  to  dissolve  the  governing  junta  of 
three  persons,  and  to  nominate  a  supreme  director.  Don 
Francisco  Lastra  was  the  first  invested  with  that  dignity. 
He  hastily  collected  a  small  division,  and  sent  it,  under 
Don  Manuel  Blanco  Ciceron,  against  the  enemy ;  but 
that  officer  was  totally  defeated  at  Cancharayada  by  the 
vanguard  of  the  royalists. 

"In  the  mean  while,  O'Higgins  prepared  to  follow 
Gainza  ;  and,  by  forced  marches,  made  under  great  diffi- 
culties, arrived  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river.  He  imme- 
diately bivouacked,  as  if  it  had  been  his  intention  to 
remain  there  for  the  purpose  of  watching  the  enemy's 
motions ;  but  as  soon  as  it  became  dark,  he  crossed  the 
rapid  Maule  at  several  points,  a  few  miles  above  the 
Spanish  posts,  and,  when  morning  broke,  the  astonished 
enemy  beheld  the  patriot  army  in  a  strong  position,  which 
commanded  the  road  to  Santiago,  as  well  as  that  to  Chil- 
ian, the  centre  of  the  royalist  resources.  The  masterly 
passage  of  the  Maule  may  be  considered  as  equivalent  to 
a  victory.  General  Gainza,  cut  off  from  retreating  either 
way,  was  compelled  to  shut  himself  up  in  Talca. 

"  Don  Jose  Miguel  and  Don  Luis  Carrera  had  been  set 
at  liberty  by  the  royalists,  in  virtue  of  the  treaty  of  Talca. 
Don  Juan  Jose  had  been  banished  across  the  Andes,  but 
had  returned.  In  May,  1814,  a  court  martial  was  or- 
dered to  assemble,  for  the  purpose  of  exhibiting  (as  was 
stated  to  the  public)  the  bad  conduct  of  the  three  broth- 
ers. Don  Luis  was  arrested,  but  Don  Jose  Miguel  and 
Don  Juan  Jose  succeeded  in  concealing  themselves. 
The  present  juncture  was  considered  by  them  to  be  favor- 
able to  a  new  usurpation  of  the  reins  of  government. 
They  secretly  organized  in  the  capital  a  party  with  which 


'II 


^^MBm^ 


152 


A  mSTOBT   OF   THE 


they  had  never  ceased  to  correspond,  and  which  now 
assisted  in  carrying  into  execution  their  criminal  designs. 
A  part  of  the  garrison  having  been  gained  over,  the  Car- 
reras  showed  themselves  on  the  23d  of  August,  1814, 
and  deposed  the  supreme  director,  Lastra.  r,,-^ 

**  A  junta  was  formed,  and  the  elder  Carrera  placed 
himself  at  the  head  of  it,  as  in  the  first  usurpation.  The 
indignant  citizens,  although  much  dissatisfied  with  Lastra, 
immediately  assembled,  and  signified  their  extreme  dis- 
pleasure to  the  Carreras ;  but  finding  the  latter  deaf  to 
remonstrances,  unsupported  by  the  bayonet,  they  ap- 
pealed for  protection  to  O'Higgins,  who  lost  no  time  in 
obeying  the  call.  He  marched  from  Talca,  and  a  partial 
rencontre  took  place  in  the  vicinity  of  Santiago.  The 
rival  parties  were  on  the  eve  of  a  general  action,  when 
a  messenger  appeared  from  the  royalist  general,  and  a 
suspension  of  arms  was  agreed  upon,  to  receive  his 
despatches. 

"  The  messenger  was  the  bearer  of  an  official  letter, 
intimating  that  the  viceroy  had  refused  to  ratify  the 
treaty  of  Talca ;  that  the  only  measure  left  for  the  insur- 
gent authorities  to  secure  the  royal  clemency  was  by  sur- 
rendering at  discretion.  The  despatch  concluded  by  the 
assurance  that  the  sword  was  unsheathed,  in  order  not  to 
leave  one  stone  upon  another  in  case  of  resistance. 

**  It  also  appeared  that  Gainza  had  been  recalled  to 
Peru,  although  he  had  some  claims  upon  the  considera- 
tion of  a  viceroy  remarkable  for  his  disregard  of  public 
faith  towards  the  patriots,  but  who  in  other  respects  bore 
an  honorable  character.  Gainza  had  violated  the  treaty 
by  remaining,  under  various  pretexts,  in  Concepcion, 
until  General  Osorio  arrived  with  fresh  troops,  and  a  sup- 
ply of  military  stores  of  every  kind ;  and  events  ulti- 
mately proved  that  he  had  signed  the  treaty  for  no  other 
purpose  than  that  time  might  be  gained  for  these  rein- 
forcements to  arrive.  The  plan  of  the  Spaniards  was  so 
well  formed,  that  4000  troops  were  akeady  within  fifty 
leagues  of  the  capital  when  the  summons  for  uncondi- 
tional submission  was  received. 


it ,  ^ 


IRISH   SETTLERS  IN  NORTH  AMERICA. 


l'^^ 


"  Agitated  by  conflicting  feelings,  0*Higgins  magnan- 
imously sacrificed  his  just  resentments,  to  save  his  coun- 
try. He  acceded  to  the  demands  of  his  rival,  and  nobly 
turned  his  anns  against  the  common  enemy.  Carrera 
followed  O'Higgins  with  a  strong  division  ;  but  discipline 
no  longer  gave  efficiency  to  soldiers  who  had  often  fought 
gloriously :  desertion  to  an  alarming  extent  prevailed. 
To  consolidate  his  ill-acquired  power,  Carrera  had  weak- 
ened the  army  by  removing  some  deserving  officors,  and 
had  banished  from  the  capital  many  distinguished  citi- 
zens, for  no  other  reason  than  their  discountenance  of 
his  arbitrary  proceedings. 

"  O'lliggins  encountered  the  royalist  force  on  the  bank 
of  the  river  Cachapoal ;  but,  having  only  900  men,  was 
defeated,  and  he  took  shelter  in  the  town  of  Rancagua, 
twenty-three  leagues  from  Santiago.  He  caused  the 
entrances  of  the  streets  to  be  blocked  up,  and  made  the 
place  as  difficult  of  access  as  his  very  lender  means  per- 
mitted. 

"  On  the  1st  of  October,  1814,  the  royalists  com- 
menced an  attack,  which  lasted  for  thirty-six  hours,  dur- 
ing which  time  the  fire  on  both  sides  was  kept  up  with 
unremitting  vigor.  Each  party  hoisted  the  black  flag, 
and  no  quarter  was  given.  In  the  hottest  of  the  action, 
the  magazine  of  the  patriots  exploded,  and  produced  the 
most  destructive  effects  ;  but,  undismayed  by  the  heavy 
misfortune,  their  effi)rts  seemed  to  redouble,  and  the  Span- 
ish general  determined  to  abandon  the  enterprise.  He 
had  actually  given  orders  to  retreat,  under  the  impres- 
sion that  Carrera,  who  had  remained  an  unmoved  specta- 
tor, would  cut  off  his  retreat,  and  that  his  exhausted  roy- 
alists would  be  attacked  in  a  disadvantageous  position  hy 
that  chief  with  fresh  troops.  But  General  Ordonez,  the 
second  in  command,  perceiving  the  inaction  of  Carrera, 
who  evidently  exhibited  no  intention  to  effect  a  diversion, 
or  to  send  to  O'lliggins  the  smallest  .succor ,  determined 
upon  making  another  grand  cflbrt.  By  means  of  the 
hatchet  and  the  flames,  the  royalist  penetrated  through 
the  walls  of  the  houses,  and  at  length  fought  their  way, 


■'"^»--«»»a«h«„i 


154 


A   HISTORY  OP   TFS 


mm' 


inch  by  inch,  to  the  square  in  the  centre  of  the  town. 
Here  O'Higgins  made  his  last  stand  with  two  hundred 
survivors,  worn  out  with  fatigue,  tormented  with  raging 
thirst,  and  surrounded  by  heaps  of  slain  ;  till  observing 
all  was  lost,  he,  although  wounded  in  the  leg,  headed  the 
brave  relics  of  his  party,  and  gallantly  cut  his  way 
through  the  royalists.  Such  was  the  impression  pro- 
duced by  this  desperate  act  of  valor,  that  none  ventured 
to  pursue  the  patriots,  who  continued  their  retreat  with- 
out further  molestation  to  the  capital.  The  royalists 
remained  in  Rancagua  to  despatch  the  wounded,  to 
butcher  the  few  remaining  inhabitants,  and  to  destroy 
what  had  escaped  the  flames. 

**  The  Carreras  had  still  under  their  command  one 
thousand  five  hundred  men  ;  but  they  abandoned  the  cap- 
ital without  a  struggle.  The  depredations  committed  by 
the  troops  of  the  Carreras  irritated  the  citizens  to  such  a 
degree,  that  a  deputation  was  sent  to  Osorio,  to  request 
him  to  enter  Santiago  and  reestablish  order.  Six  hun- 
dred troops  crossed  the  Andes  with  Carrera.  General 
O'Higgins  emigrated  with  about  one  thousand  four  hun- 
dred persons,  many  of  whom  were  ladies  of  rank,  who 
passed  the  snowy  ridges  of  the  Andes  on  foot.  All  were 
received  at  Mendoza  with  generous  hospitality  by  Gen- 
eral San  Martin,  and  few  returned  home  until  after  the 
battle  of  Chacabuco,  in  1817."* 

Colonel  O'Connor,  son  of  Roger,  and  nephew  of  Ar- 
thur O'Connor,  chief  of  the  staff  to  San  Martin,  had 
raised  a  fine  regiment  at  Panama,  and  embarked  in  the 
first  attempt  at  Peruvian  independence.  He  fought 
throughout  the  war,  until  the  final  battle  of  Ayachuco 
ended  the  struggle,  by  establishing  the  liberties  of  the 
colony.  In  that  engagement  he  acted  as  adjutant  gen- 
eral, and  contributed  materially  to  the  "  crowning  vic- 
tory." 

Colonel  0* Carroll,  another  ofiicer  in  the  same  service, 
after  a  distinguished  career,  perished  at  the  hands  of  the 

•Memoirs  of  Gen.  Miller,  vol.  i.,  pp.  117—119,  120—184. 


I 


IWSH  SETTLERS  IN  NORTH  AMERICA. 


155 


»e  town, 
hundred 
ti  raging 
bserving 
ided  the 
his  way 
ion  pro- 
i^entured 
at  with- 
royalists 
ided,  to 
destroy 

and  one 
the  cap- 
litted  by 
0  such  a 
request 
i)ix  hun- 
General 
)ur  hun- 
nk,  who 
f\.ll  were 
by  Gen- 
fter  the 

'  of  Ar- 
:in,  had 
L  in  the 
fought 
yachuco 
3  of  the 
mt  gen- 
ng  vio- 

service, 
3  of  the 


guerilla,  Benavides,  who  cut  out  the  tongue  of  his  cap- 
tive before  putting  him  to  death. 

Captain  Esmonde,  a  native  of  Wexford,  and  an  early 
adherent  of  the  South  American  cause,  captured  and 
imprisoned  in  1811,  by  the  rcyalists,  underwent  various 
singular  adventures. 

"  One  of  the  authorities  at  Pisco,  to  whose  charge  the 
patriot  prisoners  had  been  consigned,  was  Don  Francisco 
Algorte,  who,  in  addition  to  the  brutal  tyranny  which  he 
exercised  over  the  unfortunate  prisoners,  descended  fre- 
quently to  the  cowardly  violence  of  striking  Esmonde 
upon  the  head  with  a  cane.  From  this  situation,  more 
horrible  than  death  to  the  mind  of  a  gentlemanly  and 
high-spirited  officer,  Esmonde  was  removed  to  the  case- 
mates of  Callao,  whence  he  was  liberated  by  the  kind 
interposition  of  Captain  Shirreff,  with  whom,  in  compli- 
ance with  the  terms  of  his  release,  he  returned  to  Eng- 
land. 

"  On  the  capture  of  Pisco,  in  1821,  by  the  patriots, 
under  the  command  of  Miller,  an  estate  of  Algorte  was, 
as  belonging  to  a  violent  and  uncompromising  Spaniard, 
taken  possession  of,  and  subsequently  confiscated. 

'*  Algorte  repaired  to  Lima,  and,  in  the  course  of  a 
few  months,  by  well-directed  presents,  secured  the  sup- 
port of  some  powerful  friends,  whose  influence  had  nearly 
obtained  from  the  protector  the  restoration  of  his  estate. 
Nothing  was  wanting  to  complete  his  success  but  the 
report  of  Miller,  upon  a  reference  made  to  him,  and 
which  was  necessary  to  legalize  the  restoration.  To 
ensure  his  acquiescence,  Algorte  had  recourse  to  a  mutual 
friend,  a  rich  Spanish  merchant  of  the  highest  character. 
This  gentleman,  without  venturing  to  enter  into  particu- 
lars, intimated  that  he  was  authorized  to  subscribe  to  any 
terms.  An  intimate  friend  of  Miller's,  an  English  mer- 
chant, was  also  employed,  and  who,  in  a  jocose  manner, 
hinted  that,  in  the  event  of  a  favorable  report,  five  or  six 
thousand  dollars  might  be  accidentally  found  at  the  door 
of  the  colonel's  apartments. 

'« Esmonde,  who  had  fulfilled  the  conditions  of  his 


^^WiB1milli|ii|iiiiii,iiii  i^ij^^^ 


^^fmmt 


M.'.^.Hr^^^ 


I'M 


156 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH  SETTLERS,   ETC. 


release,  and  returned  to  Peru,  happened  at  this  moment 
to  be  in  Lima.  To  him,  therefore.  Miller,  who  had  heard 
some  reports  of  Algorte's  treatment  of  the  prisoners, 
referred  for  their  correctness,  without  mentioning,  either 
then  or  afterwards,  the  motive  for  his  inquiries.  Esmonde 
simply  recounted  the  conduct  of  Algorte  towards  himself 
and  his  fellow-prisoners.  The  result  may  be  anticipated. 
Miller's  report  was  immediately  forwarded,  and  Algorte's 
estate  irrecoverably  lost. 

"  Captain  Esmonde  was  afterwards  employed  by  the 
Peruvian  government  to  examine  and  report  upon  the 
possibility  of  making  canals  near  Tarapaca.  The  vessel, 
on  board  of  which  he  embarked,  having  never  been  heard 
of,  is  supposed  to  have  foundered  at  sea."* 

On  the  royalist  side,  the  only  Irishman  of  note  was 
General  O'Reilly,  taken  prisoner  by  Saurey,  on  his  march 
from  Canta  to  Pisco,  in  1820.  He  was  allowed  to  return 
to  Spain,  but  so  afflicted  by  his  defeat,  that  he  is  "  sup- 
posed to  have  thrown  himself  overboard,  as  he  was 
drowned  at  sea." 

In  the  service  of  Buenos  Ayres,  beside  Colonel  Mac- 
kenna  already  mentioned.  Captain  O'Brien,  of  the  first 
Argentine  ship-of-war,  and  Colonel,  now  General,  O'- 
Brien, of  the  army,  were  early  distinguished.  The  for- 
mer lost  his  life  early  in  the  contest,  but  the  latter  sur- 
vived to  prove  himself  worthy  of  almost  every  civil  and 
military  trust,  in  the  gift  of  his  adopted  country.  After 
rising  from  rank  to  rank,  during  the  war,  he  was  succes- 
sively minister  of  Venezuela  at  London,  and  chief  of 
the  Venezuelan  republic.     He  still  survives. 

Such  were  some  of  the  services  to  liberty  which  made 
the  Irish  name  illustrious  in  South  America,  and  revived 
the  passion  for  military  glory  in  the  hearts  of  the  Irish 
settlers  of  the  northern  confederation. 

♦Memoirs  of  General  Miller,  vol.  i.,  pp.  224,  225. 


i. 


CHAPTER    XXII 


THE   ntlSH  IN  MEXICO  —  SAN  PATRICIO  COUNTY MACQEE's   INCtTRSION — ANNEXA- 
TION  OF  TEXAS WAR  WITH  MEXICO  —  TAYLOR'S  CAMPAIGNS  —  MAJOR  OENERA.Ii 

-,     BUTLEB  —  COIiONEL  O'BRIEN — COLONEIt  MACKEE  —  MAJOR  QORMAN. 

While  Irish  soldiers  were  so  actively  engaged  in  the 
South  American  revolutions,  men  of  the  same  origin  were 
about  to  introduce  the  mixed  northern  race  into  the  pos- 
sessions of  Mexico,  and  to  take  the  first  steps  in  that 
onward  aggressive  march,  which  has  placed  the  flag  of 
"The  Union"  on  the  headlands  of  the  Pacific. 

Under  its  first  presidents,  the  republic  of  Mexico, 
anxious  to  encourage  emigration,  had  given  a  large  tract 
of  country  between  the  rivers  Neuces  and  Rio  Grande  to 
aii  Irish  colony.  In  1820,  a  considerable  Irish  population 
had  settled  there,  and  their  grant  was  known  as  "  The 
County  of  San  Patricio."  This  county  became  afterwards 
a  party  in  asserting  and  maintaining  Texian  independ- 
ence of  Mexico.* 

In  1812,  when  the  early  attempts  at  revolutionizing 
the  Spanish  colonies  bordering  the  Gulf,  were  made ;  when 
Fray  Hidalgo,  the  last  Mexican  chief  of  his  generation,  had 
been  publicly  executed,  "  a  young  man,  named  McGee, 
who  had  been  a  lieutenant  in  the  United  States  service, 
after  resigning  for  the  purpose,"  raised  the  standard  of 
independence  on  the  Sabine  and  Trinity  rivers.  With 
about  four  hundred  United  States  recruits,  chiefly  rifle- 
men, and  an  equal  force  of  Spanish  under  one  Bernardo, 
he  crossed  the  Sabine.  He  "took  Nacodoches,  then 
marched  to  and  took  La  Bahia,  where,  with  his  four  hun- 

*  It  was  reprpsented  in  the  "  Texian  Consultation"  of  1835,  by  Messrs. 
McMuUcn  and  Powell.  It  continued  a  Texian  county  until  it  was  depopu- 
lated, in  the  late  Americo-Mexican  war,  being-  the  theatre  of  some  of  its 
severest  battles.  That  part  of  the  original  tract  now  included  in  the  state  of 
Texas  is  called  "  Neuces  County." — Debate  on  the  Texian  Boundary  in  Con- 
gress, August  Sth,  1850. 

14 


feM 


168 


A   HISTORY   OP   THE 


:f 


dred,  he  withstood  a  siege  of  three  months,  the  American 
riflemen  making  such  havoc  among  the  Spanish  soldiers, 
in  their  occasional  sorties,  that  their  commander  was 
compelled  to  raise  the  siege  and  retire  to  San  Antonio. 
McGee,  in  the  mean  time,  died,  not  more  than  twenty- two 
years  of  age."*   For  his  time,  he  had  something  to  show  ! 

The  American  and  friendly  Texian  force  continued  in 
arms  for  over  twelve  months,  in  the  heart  of  the  country ; 
they  took  San  Antonio,  defeated  General  Elisondo,  at 
the  head  of  1600  men,  and  were  in  turn  defeated  by  the 
recreancy  of  Manchaco,  one  of  their  native  allies,  and  an 
overwhelming  force,  under  Arredondo. 

The  proximity  of  Texas  to  the  United  States  of  course 
attracted  to  it  the  adventurous  spirits  of  the  Mississippi 
Valley.  This  attraction  did  not  cease  with  Mexican  in- 
dependence, established,  in  1821,  through  the  patriotism 
of  Iturbide,  and  the  moderating  influence  of  O'Donoju, 
the  last  captain-general  of  Mexico. 

While  Mexico  was  forming  her  new  boundaries,  the 
United  States  had  frequently  proposed,  through  her 
ministers,  to  obtain  the  Rio  Bravo  del  Norte  as  the  boun- 
dary between  the  two  republics.  Mr.  Poinsett,  in  1825, 
and  Mr.  Butler,  in  1827,  proposed  to  purchase  up  to  this 
definitive  frontier,  in  vain. 

Under  the  presidency  of  Santa  Anna,  in  1832,  Texas 
declared  against  the  then  administration,  and  for  the 
Federal  constitution  of  1824.  An  armed  force  was  sent 
to  seize  the  local  authorities  and  disarm  the  inhabitants. 
The  settlers,  a  majority  of  whom  were  from  the  Valley  of 
the  Mississippi,  resisted ;  conflicts  ensued ;  and  finally  Texas 
raised  its  separate  flag,  and,  in  1836,  by  the  victory  of 
San  Jacinto,  established  its  separate  sovereignty.!  In 
1837,  its  independence  was  acknowledged  by  the  United 
States,  France,  and  England ;  and,  even  in  that  year,  Gen- 
eral Jackson,  in  his  message,  suggested  the  probability 


*  "Mexican  Letters,"  by  Judge  Brenckenridge,  (written  in  1846-7.) 
f  General  Houston,  the  hero  ol'  tlie  Texian  ievolutiori,  has  personally  men- 
tioned to  me  his  Irish  descent,  paternally,  and  Scotch,  maternally.     His  life 
will  be  the  most  American  of  books,  whenever  it  is  worthily  written. 


IRISH   SETTLERS   IN   NORTH   A»IERICA. 


159 


of  its  future  admission  into  the  Union.  The  Mexican 
and  American  ministers  respectively  demanded  their 
passports,  and  left  the  capitals  to  which  they  were  accred- 
ited ;  and  so  the  seeds  of  quarrel  were  deposited  in  two 
willing  soils. 

In  1840,  a  commission  to  settle  the  disputes  of  the  two 
republics  was  agreed  on;  but,  in  1842,  it  terminated, 
leaving  untouched  the  Mexican  claim  of  sovereignty  over 
Texas.  In  1843,  Mr.  Tyler  being  President,  the  annex- 
ation of  Texas  was  much  discussed,  and  finally  looked 
on  as  an  administration  measure.  Mr  Webster  and  Mr. 
Upshur,  successively  secretaries  of  siate,  prepared  the 
way  for  it ;  and,  notwithstanding  the  protest  of  Mexico, 
Mr.  Calhoun,  their  successor,  in  April,  1844,  -igned  'he 
treaty  of  annexation,  with  the  Texian  commissioner? ,  at 
Washington. 

Mexico,  never  having  acknowledged  the  s  ;p  u'ate  sov- 
ereignty of  Texas,  could  not  see  her  pass  bcdily  over  to 
the  republic  of  the  north,  without  resistance.  She  had 
repeatedly  protested,  in  the  most  impressive  cccents  of 
diplomacy ;  and  when  the  act  of  annexation  was  known  to 
be  under  consideration  at  Washington,  she  avowed  that 
she  would  look  on  its  completion  "as  a  declaration  of 
war."*  Both  countries,  pending  the  treaty,  were  in- 
creasing their  military  forces,  and  it  was  evident,  a  collis- 
ion, or  a  total  retrogression  in  policy,  would  take  place. 
On  the  3d  of  March,  1845,  Congrf^-s  .onfirmcd  Mr.  Cal- 
houn's negotiation,  and  Texas  became  a  state  of  the 
Union  ;  on  the  10th,  the  Mexican  minister  obtained  his 
passports  ;  in  July,  Texas  formally  accepted  her  admis- 
sion with  the  conditions;  cu  the  25th  of  July,  eight 
companies  of  United  States  troops  moved  towards  the 
Texian  (now  become  the  United  States)  boundary,  while 
soon  after,  General  Taylor  made  his  head  quarters  at 
Corpus  Christi.  In  March  of  1846,  after  wasting  the 
winter  in  Slidell's  negotiation,  Taylor  was  ordered  to  take 
up  his  march  to  the  Rio  Grande,  with  about  3,000  men 

*  Executive  doc. :  No.  2.  House  of  Representatives  —  twenty-ninth  Con- 
gress. 


160 


A   HISTORY   OF  THE 


i^ 


Bs' 


1. 


of  all  arms ;  and  Arista,  by  his  government,  to  cross  the  Rio 
Bravo,  with  thrice  the  number,  and  drive  the  Americans 
back.  In  April,  the  first  blood  was  shed.  Colonel  Cross 
being  assassinated,  and  Lieutenant  Porter's  party,  in  quest 
of  him,  cut  to  pieces ;  and  now  the  war,  in  reality,  begins. 

In  this,  "the  third  great  war"  of  the  Union,  Texas,  as 
being  immediately  involved,  and  the  southern  states,  were 
likely  to  play  the  earliest  part ;  but  the  quarrel  was  a 
national  one,  and  we  shall  soon  find  that  nearly  every 
state  in  the  Union  supplied  its  contingent  to  the  roll  of  the 
dead,  and  the  list  of  the  successful.  We  shall  find,  too, 
many  striking  instances  of  the  usefulness  of  the  Irish 
race  in  an  era  of  action  such  as  this  was. 

Scott,  Taylor,  Worth,  Wool,  and  Perry,  are  purely 
American  reputations ;  but  though  they  are  the  most 
brilliant  of  the  war,  there  are  others,  also,  worthy  of 
honorable  remembrance. 

In  the  early  battles,  (Taylor's,)  we  find  the  Rangers 
under  Gillespie,  Hays,  Conner  and  McCuUoch,  playing  an 
ubiquitous  part.  As  scouting  and  foraging  parties,  as 
covering  movements  of  artillery  and  infimtry,  in  regular 
engagements  and  in  street  fighting,  mounted  or  dis- 
mounted, there  is  no  battle  without  them.  The  names 
of  the  several  ofiicers  indicate  their  paternity. 

When  General  Taylor's  force  was  sufficiently  augmented, 
by  arrivals  of  volunteers,  and  some  additional  regulars,  to 
take  the  offensive,  (after  the  victories  of  the  8th  and  9th 
of  Alay,  184G,)  we  begin  to  find  the  officers  of  other 
corps  distinguishing  themselves.  The  capture  of  Mata- 
moras  and  Monterey,  and  the  battle  of  Buena  Vista,  have 
associated  the  names  of  Butler  and  O'Brien,  of  the  regu- 
lar army,  and  Gorman,*  (Indiana,)  and  McKee,  (Ken- 
tucky,) witli  some  of  the  most  memorable  passages  at 
arms,  in  the  annals  of  America. 

William  O.  Butler,  of  Kentucky,  the  grandson  of  an 
Irish  emigrant,  was  trained  in  the  Florida  war,  in  the 
camp  of  Jackson.     As  major  general,  he  served  with 

*  At,  present,  we  believe,  a  member  of  Congress  from  Indiana. 


IRISH   SETTLERS  IN  NORTH   AMERICA. 


161 


Taylor,  superseded  Scott,  and,  on  the  conclusion  of 
peace,  conducted  the  American  forces  back  to  their 
country.  In  1848,  he  was  the  candidate  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  for  Vice-President,  with  Lewis  Cass  for 
President. 

O'Brien,  whom  death  has  removed  in  the  midst  of 
peace,  is  mentioned  by  Taylor,  for  his  efficient  direction 
of  his  battery  at  Buena  Vista.  He  was  brevetted 
major  for  his  conduct  upon  that  field.  He  was  born  in 
Philadephia,  of  Irish  parents,  and  educated  at  West  Point. 
Besides  his  military  services,  he  is  entitled  to  remem- 
brance, for  his  compilation,  "O'Brien's  Military  Law  of 
the  United  States,"  the  standard  work  of  its  class,  and  one 
likely  to  remain  so.  He  was  a  practically  pious  man, 
and  none  the  worse  soldier  for  that.  He  died  of  cholera, 
in  Texas,  on  the  30th  of  March,  1850,  being  but  little 
beyond  thirty  years  of  age. 

Colonel  McKee,  of  the  Kentucky  Volunteers,  did  not 
survive  the  deadly  conflict  of  Buena  Vista.  Descended 
of  one  of  the  early  pioneers  of  that  state,  he  gallantly 
upheld  its  character  for  daring  courage.  With  his  feUow- 
statesman.  Clay,  he  fell  before  the  hour  of  the  victory, 
but  not  until  he  had  done  his  share  to  secure  it  to  his 
own  side. 

We  must  now  trace  quickly  over  the  campaigns  of 
Scott,  and  see  what  men,  of  marked   distinction,  were 
there,  of  Irish  origin  or  birth. 
14* 


*.fl 


!^te,affe!,*»ti,-«swi 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 


II 


m 


BCOTT'S     campaigns COLONEL     RILEY  —  BRILLIANT    CHARGE    OF    KEARNEY    AND 

MACREYNOLD'S   DRAGOONS — BRIGADIER  GENERAL  SHIELDS  —  HIS  RECEPTION  ON 
RETURNING   TO   THE   UNITED  STATES SENATOR   FOR   ILLINOIS. 

In  November,  1846,  Major  General  Scott,  commander- 
in-chief  of  the  United  States  army,  was  despatched  to 
Mexico,  with  orders  to  besiege  Vera  Cruz,  and  endeavor 
to  penetrate  from  that  city,  by  a  direct  route,  to  the  Mex- 
ican capital. 

In  this  brilliant  expedition,  of  which  the  successive 
stops  Avcre  Vera  Cruz,  Cerro  Gordo,  Puebla,  Contreras, 
Churubusco,  Chepultepec,  and  Mexico,  many  noble  deeds 
of  arms,  and  fine  combinations  of  skill,  were  exhibited. 

One  of  Scott's  most  efficient  officers  was  Colonel,  since 
General,  Riley,  a  native  of  Baltimore,  of  Irish  parentage, 
and  an  old  volunteer  in  the  war  of  1812.  In  every 
action  of  the  war  he  was  distinguished,  and  no  promotion 
was  considered,  by  the  soldiers  of  the  war,  more  justly 
deserved.  Under  General  Riley,  the  territory  of  Cali- 
fornia was  organized  and  prepared  for  admission  into  the 
Union  in  1850. 

Among  the  other  officers  of  Scott's  army  were  many 
of  Irish  origin,  as  Brigadier  Patterson,  of  Pennsylvania  ; 
Captains  Lee,  of  the  engineers,  Casey,  of  the  regular 
infantry,  and  JN^igruder,  of  the  artillery;  Lieutenant 
Neal,  and  many  others. 

Major  McReynolds,  of  the  dragoons,  a  lawyer,  long 
settled  in  IVIichigan,  was  distinguished  wherever  cavalry 
had  ground  to  operate  on.  A  cotemporary  biographer 
writes  of  him  :  — 

"  Mr.  McReynolds,  a  native  of  Dungannon,  county 
Tyrone,  came  to  this  country  when  a  youth  of  eighteen, 
and  has,  we  believe,  since  then,  resided  in  Detroit,  Mich- 
igan.    To  the  Legislature  of  that  state  he  has  been  several 


lis 


IRISH   SETTLERS   IN   NORTH   AMERICA. 


163 


times  elected,  and  in  it  he  has  occupied  a  highly  honora- 
ble position.  Bq  was  a  member  of  the  Michigan  Senate 
when  the  war  with  Mexico  broke  out,  and  immediately- 
tendered  his  services  to  the  government.  The  President 
promptly  gave  him  a  captain's  commission  in  the  dra- 
goons, and  the  gallant  discharge  of  his  duties  in  that 
position  has  won  for  him  enduring  honors.  The  assault 
of  Kearney's  and  McReynolds'  dragoons,  on  the  bloody 
field  of  Churubusco,  was  one  of  the  most  daring  and  bril- 
liant deeds  of  heroism  among  the  many  proud  instances 
of  valor  which  have  shed  such  undying  lustre  on  the 
American  arms,  in  the  history  of  the  Mexican  war." 

The  commanding  general  of  the  division  thus  speaks 
of  this  charge,  in  his  official  report :  — 

"  Captain  McReynold's  3d  dragoons  nobly  sustained 
the  daring  movements  of  his  squadron  commander,  and 
was  wounded  in  his  left  arm.  Both  of  these  fine  com- 
panies sustained  severe  losses  in  their  rank  and  file  also. 
We  are  informed  that  the  enemy  numbered,  by  their  own 
report,  five  thousand  infantry  and  one  thousand  cavalry, 
while  our  dragoons  did  not  exceed  one  hundred.  This 
small  force  drove  the  Mexicans  upwards  of  two  miles, 
and  ceased  not  until  they  were  within  the  battery  that 
covered  the  gate  of  the  city.  In  this  charge,  the  dra- 
goons cut  down  more  than  their  entire  number  of  the 
enemy.  When  we  consider  the  extraordinary  disparity 
in  point  of  numbers,  and  the  raking  position  of  the  en- 
emy's battery,  into  the  very  mouth  of  which  our  brave 
dragoons  fearlessly  threw  themselves,  we  tliink  we  may 
safely  say  it  has  no  parallel  in  modern  warfare." 

The  same  village  in  which  Major  McReynolds  was 
born,  also  gave  birth  to  James  Sliields.  Both  fiunilies 
are  Milesian  IiLsh,  old  as  the  hills,  in  Ulster.  Under  the 
Celtic  Pentarchy,  the  0' Shields  were  the  standard-bear- 
ers of  the  north,  —  an  oilice  of  special  honor  and  trust, 
in  those  military  ages. 

While  a  mere  boy,  James  Shields  emigrated  to  this 
country,  and,  while  still  in  his  teens,  served  as  second 
lieutenant  of  volunteers  in  the  Florida  war.     In  the  long 


sss>*i«a(fc«i,.  ^ 


164 


A  HISTORY   OP  THE 


years  of  peace  which  succeeded,  he  did  not  abandon  mil- 
itary studies,  and,  though  he  held  an  important  civil  em- 
ployment in  the  department  for  Indian  Affairs,  he  at  once 
volunteered  into  the  war  with  Mexico.  On  the  1st  of 
July,  1846,  he  was  appointed  brigadier  general,  and 
joined  the  division  under  General  Wool.  With  that  ofifi- 
cer  he  shared  the  famous  march  through  Chihuahua  and 
New  Mexico  to  Monterey,  from  whence  he  was  detached 
to  the  army  under  Scott,  then  before  Vera  Cruz. 

'*  But  the  military  talents  of  General  Shields  were  first 
fully  developed  at  Cerro  Gordo.  In  the  general  orders 
of  April  17th,  he  was  entrusted  with  the  care  of  the 
Jalapa  road,  in  order  to  keep  the  enemy  in  that  quarter 
engaged  during  the  main  attack,  and  to  cut  off  retreat. 
In  both  these  objects  he  was  successful.  By  his  activity 
he  contributed  largely  to  the  victory  of  that  memorable 
day,  and  elicited  the  admiration  of  both  General  Scott 
and  his  brother  ofiicers.  In  the  pursuit,  he  received  a 
musket  ball  through  the  lungs,  by  which  he  was  imme- 
diately prostrated,  the  command  devolving  on  Colonel 
Baker.  His  life  was  for  a  while  despaired  of,  but  event- 
ually, to  the  astonishment  of  all,  he  recovered. 

**  During  the  long  stay  of  the  army  at  Puebla  we  hear 
little  of  General  Shields  ;  but  he  again  appears  amid  the 
toils  and  dangers  of  the  march  to  war*  Is  the  capital.  Late 
on  the  19th  of  August,  while  the  storming  of  Contreras 
was  in  progress,  he  was  sent  to  a  a  illage  near  that  fort, 
in  order  to  afford  assistance  to  General  Smith.  A  deep, 
rugged  ravine,  along  whose  bod  rolled  a  rapid  stream, 
was  passed  with  great  difficulty,  in  consequence  of  the 
increasing  darkness ;  after  which,  the  general  ordered 
his  weary  troops  to  lie  upon  their  arms  until  midnight, 
in  order  to  prepare  for  further  duty.  In  the  mean  while 
he  threw  out  two  strong  pickets,  who,  perceiving  a  body 
of  Mexican  infantry  moving  through  the  fields  toward 
the  city,  opened  a  sharp  fire,  and  succeeded  in  driving 
them  back.  At  midnight.  Shield's  troops  resumed  their 
march,  and  soon  joined  Smith's  brigade,  at  the  place 
appointed. 


IRISH   SETTLERS   IN   NORTH    AMERICA. 


165 


mmil- 
il  em- 
tt  once 
1st  of 
1,  and 
at  oflfi- 
la  and 
tached 

re  first 

orders 

of  the 

quarter 

retreat. 

ictivity 

aorable 

1  Scott 

eived  a 

imrae- 

Colonel 

event- 

7e  hear 

nid  the 

Late 

ntreras 

at  fort, 

deep, 

jtream, 

of  the 

>rdered 

night, 

while 

a  body 

oward 

iriving 

d  their 

place 


-  ' 


**At  this  time,  General  Shields  performed  an  action 
so  delicate  and  magnanimous  as  to  deserve  record  with 
the  more  dazzling  ones  which  were  soon  to  follow.  Pre- 
vious to  his  arrival,  Smith  had  completed  those  judicious 


arrangements,  for 


turning 


and  surprising   the  Mexican 


position,  which  were  afterwards  so  brilliantly  successful. 
As  Shields  was  the  senior  officer,  he  could  have  assumed 
the  command,  as  well  as  the  execution,  of  General 
Smith's  plans,  thus  debarring  that  officer  from  the  fruit 
of  his  labor.  But  this  he  nobly  refused  to  do,  and 
withdrew  his  men  to  the  position  formerly  occupied  by 
his  brother  veteran.  About  daybreak,  the  Mexicans 
opened  a  brisk  fire  of  grape  and  round  shot  upon  the 
church  and  village  where  the  general  was  stationed,  as 
also  upon  a  part  of  the  troops  displayed  to  divert  him  on 
his  right  and  front.  This  continued  until  Colonel  Riley's 
brigade  opened  its  fire  from  the  rear,  which  was  deliv- 
ered with  such  terrible  effect,  that  the  whole  Mexican 
force  was  thrown  into  consternation. 

* '  At  this  juncture .  Shields  ordered  the  two  regiments 
of  his  command  to  throw  themselves  on  the  main  road  by 
which  the  enemy  must  retire,  so  as  to  intercept  and  cut 
off  their  retreat.  Although  officers  and  men  had  suffered 
severely  during  the  night's  march,  as  well  as  from  expos- 
ure, without  shelter  or  cover,  to  the  incessant  rain  until 
daybreak,  this  movement  was  executed  in  good  order  and 
with  rapidity.  Crossing  a  deep  raA'ine,  the  Palmetto  reg- 
iment deployed  on  both  sides  of  the  road,  and  opened  a 
most  destructive  fire  upon  the  mingled  masses  of  infintry 
and  cavalry  ;  and  the  New  York  regiment,  brouglit  into 
line  lower  down,  and  on  tlie  road-side,  delivered  its  fire 
with  a  like  effect.  At  tliis  point  many  of  the  enemy 
were  killed  and  wounded,  some  tlu'oe  hundred  and  sixty- 
five  captured,  including  twenty-five  officers. 

*' Meanwhile  the  enemy's  cavalry,  al)out  three  thou- 
sand strong,  which  had  been  threatening  tlie  village 
during  the  morning,  moved  down  toward  it  in  good 
order,  as  if  to  attack.  General  Shields  immediately 
recalled  th    infantry,  so  as  to  place  them  in  a  position  for 


166 


A  HISTOBT  OF  THE 


meeting  the  threatened  movement ;  but  the  cavalry  soon 
changed  its  position,  and  retreated  toward  the  capital. 
Orders  now  arrived  from  General  Twiggs  for  the  troops  to 
advance  by  the  main  road  toward  Mexico  ;  and  accord- 
ingly, having  posted  Captain  Marshall's  company  of  South 
Carolina  volunteers  and  Captain  Taylor's  New  York  vol- 
unteers in  charge  of  the  wounded  and  prisoners,  Shields 
moved  off  with  the  remainder  of  his  force,  and  reached 
the  position  of  those  divisions  already  moving  on  the  main 
road.  ' 

"  After  turning  the  village  of  Coyoacan,  Shields  moved 
with  his  command  toward  the  right,  through  a  heavy 
cornfield,  and  gained  an  open  and  swampy  plain,  in 
which  is  situated  the  hacienda  de  los  Partales.  On 
arriving  there,  he  established  his  right  upon  a  point 
recommended  by  Captain  Lee,  an  engineer  officer  of 
great  skill  and  judgment,  at  the  same  time  commencing 
a  movement  to  the  left,  so  as  to  flank  the  enemy's  right, 
and  throw  his  troops  between  them  and  the  city.  Find- 
ing, however,  their  right  supported  by  a  body  of  cavalry, 
three  thousand  strong,  ar.d  perceiving  that  the  enemy 
answered  to  his  own  movements  by  a  corresponding  one 
toward  the  American  right  flank,  and  owing  to  the 
advantages  of  the  ground,  gaining  rapidly  upon  him,  he 
withdrew  his  men  to  the  hacienda,  for  the  purpose  of 
attacking  the  enemy  in  front.  The  conflict  was  close 
and  stubborn,  until  General  Shields,  taking  advantage  of 
a  slight  wavering  in  the  Mexican  ranks,  ordered  a  charge. 
This  was  obeyed  with  alacrity  and  success,  the  enemy 
breaking  and  flying  on  all  sides.  Shields  continued  to 
press  upon  the  fugitives,  until  passed  by  Colonel  Harney 
with  his  cavalry,  who  followed  the  routed  foe  into  the 
very  gates  of  the  city. 

**  On  the  10th  of  September,  General  Shields,  with  the 
New  York  and  South  Carolina  regiments,  was  ordered 
first  to  Piedad,  and  subsequently  to  Tacubaya,  prepara- 
tory to  the  assault  upon  Chapultepec.  Here  he  contin- 
ued a  heavy  cannonade  upon  the  enemy's  lines  until 
early  on  the  morning  of  the  13th,  when  his  command 


IRISH   SETTLERS  IN  NORTH  AMERICA. 


167 


moved  to  the  assault.  While  directing  the  advance, 
Shields  was  severely  wounded  in  the  arm,  yet  no  persua- 
sion could  induce  him  to  leave  his  command  or  quit  the 
field.  In  company  with  the  remainder  of  Quitman's 
division,  he  pushed  rapidly  forward  along  the  Belen  road, 
exposed  to  the  most  tremendous  fires,  overthrowing  one 
after  another  of  the  Mexican  strongholds,  until  finally 
his  victorious  banners  were  planted  over  the  principal 
gateway.  When  night  fell,  he  was  carried  from  the  field 
sick,  exhausted,  and  writhing  with  pain.  His  wound, 
although  severe,  was,  happily,  not  mortal;  and  rest, 
together  with  careful  attention,  united  with  a  strong  con- 
stitution, speedily  restored  him  to  health." 

On  his  return  to  the  United  States,  the  general  was 
everywhere  welcomed  with  enthusiasm,  Alabama  came 
out  with  all  her  dignitaries  to  meet  him  ;  South  Carolina 
presented  him  with  a  magnificent  sword  ;  and  Illinois, 
proud  of  her  adopted  son,  elected  him  to  the  Senate  of 
the  United  States. 

In  the  short  session  of  1850,  '51,  General  Shields, 
from  the  committee  on  military  affairs,  reported  in  favor 
of  conferring  the  rank  of  lieutenant  general  on  Scott,  — 
which  was  adopted.  Strange  chance  of  fortune  !  that 
he  whom  Scott  mourned  dead  on  the  field  of  battle,  should 
live  to  present  him  the  title,  hitherto  worn  in  war  only 
by  Washington.* 

*  A  recent  visitor  at  Washington  thus  describes  Shield's  personal  ap- 
pearance :  — 

"  I  found  the  general  seated  among  his  papers,  —  a  spare  man,  of  middle 
size,  and  apparently  about  forty  years  of  age,  with  the  amber  tinge  of  health 
on  his  cheeks,  an  eye  like  a  live  coal,  large  brows,  and  a  fine  head.  I  felt  an 
electrical  thrill  pass  through  me,  as  I  took  the  hand  of  the  first  soldier  of  our 
race,  not  excepting  Cavaignac  or  Guyon.  I  believe  I  stared  at  him  rather 
rudely,  for  I  was  anxious  to  detect  whether  his  constitution  had  recovered 
from  the  terrible  results  of  his  Mexican  wounds.  I  was  satisfied  by  the 
scrutiny,  and  it  will  give  joy  to  many  an  Irish  heart  to  know  that  in  all  prob- 
abili^  the  general  has  as  many  years,  as  any  man  of  his  age,  yet  to  come. 

"  I  shall  not  here  commit  the  indecency  of  printing  private  conversations, 
but  I  may  say  that  the  more  I  heard  of  General  Shield's  opinions,  the  more 
he  rose  in  my  estimation.  He  is  a  very  thoroughly  read  man,  with  a  very 
reflective  turn  of  mind.  He  has  thought  much  on  all  subjects  and  countries. 
He  speaks  French  as  fluently  as  English,  and  during  my  first  call  held  a  long 
Spanish  conversation  with  a  Mexican  general,  Herrera,  who,  he  observed, 
had  been  '  in  the  same  war  with  him,  but  not  on  the  same  side.'  " 


M 


1.  K 


,.^^Vii^i^K^;v',- 


168 


A  HISTORY   OP  THE 


Of  the  conduct  of  the  non-commissioned  officers  and 
men  of  Irish  birth,  during  the  war,  both  Taylor  and  Scott 
have  spoken  in  the  highest  terms  of  praise.  Their  eulo- 
giums  are  too  recent  to  need  repeating. 

"Although  the  attempts  to  conclude  a  treaty  of  peace 
immediately  after  the  battle  of  Churubusco  had  not  been 
successful,  yet,  in  concert  with  the  commander-in-chief, 
Mr.  Polk  lost  no  opportunity  to  repeat  his  overtures  for  so 
desirable  an  object.  It  was  not,  however,  until  the  begin- 
ning of  the  following  year,  that  the  Mexicans  would 
listen  to  such  proposals.  Their  army  was  then  reduced 
to  a  few  insignificant  parties,  scattered  here  and  there, 
more  for  safety  than  any  hope  of  opposition  to  the  invad- 
ers. Even  the  guerillas  manifested  symptoms  of  weari- 
ness. Accordingly,  when,  in  January,  1848,  General 
Scott  laid  before  the  Mexican  Congress  articles  of  a 
treaty,  based  upon  those  formerly  rejected,  that  body  im- 
mediately appointed  Luis  G.  Cuevas,  Bernardo  Conto, 
and  Miguel  Atristain,  as  commissioners.  These  gentle- 
men, with  Mr.  Trist,  acting  on  behalf  of  the  United 
States,  assembled  at  Guadalupe  Hidalgo,  and  concluded 
a  treaty  of  'peace,  friendship,  limits,  and  settlement' 
between  the  two  republics. 

*'  The  only  thing  still  necessary  to  the  conclusion  of 
the  war,  was  the  ratification  of  the  new  treaty  by  the 
legislature  of  each  country.  In  February,  the  attested 
copy  was  received  at  Washington  by  President  Polk,  and 
transmitted  to  the  United  States  Senate.  After  being 
slightly  amended,  it  was  passed  in  that  body,  on  the  10th 
of  March,  by  a  large  majority.  Mr.  Sevier  was  ap- 
pointed envoy  extraordinary  and  minister  plenipotentiary 
to  present  it  for  ratification  to  the  INIexican  Congress.  In 
company  with  Mr.  Clifibrd,  he  soon  arrived  at  Queretaro, 
where  the  national  legislature  was  sitting,  and  laid  before 
that  body  the  corrected  copy  for  their  final  action.  It 
passed  through  both  liouses  by  a  large  majority,  and  was 
received  with  marked  satisfaction  by  the  Mexican  peo- 
ple. 11 

**  By  this  instrument,  the  boundary  line  between  the 


lEISH  SETTLERS  IN  NORTH  AMERICA. 


169 


two  republics  was  made  to  begin  at  the  mouth  of  the  Rio 
Grande,  ascending  the  middle  of  that  river  to  the  southern 
boundary  of  New  Mexico,  thence  westwardly,  along  the 
whole  southern  boundary  of  New  Mexico,  to  its  western 
termination  ;  thence  northward,  along  the  western  line  of 
New  Mexico,  to  the  first  branch  of  the  river  Gila ;  thence 
down  the  middle  of  this  branch  and  river  to  its  junction 
with  the  Colorado ;  thence  between  Upper  and  Lower 
California  to  the  Pacific.  It  secured  to  the  United  States 
the  vast  territories  of  New  Mexico,  California,  Western 
Texas,  and  the  Pacific  coast,  together  with  the  fine  har- 
bor of  San  Francisco,  and  the  internal  navigation  of  the 
Colorado,  Gila,  and  other  rivers.  Fifteen  millions  of  dol- 
lars were  to  be  paid  to  Mexico  by  the  United  States,  as 
compensation  for  part  of  this  grant. 

"  By  an  article  of  the  treaty,  arrangements  had  been 
made  for  withdrawing  all  the  United  States  troops  from 
the  Mexican  territory  within  three  months  after  the  final 
ratifications,  provided  it  could  be  effected  before  the  com- 
mencement of  the  sickly  season.  In  furtherance  of  this 
provision,  the  most  active  preparations  immediately  com- 
menced for  marching  different  portions  of  the  army  from 
the  capital  and  interior  towns  to  Vera  Cruz,  whither  they 
were  to  embark  for  New  Orleans.  Previous  to  this.  Gen- 
eral Scott  had  left  Mexico  to  attend  a  court  of  inquiry 
appointed  by  government  to  investigate  reciprocal  charges 
between  himself  and  Generals  Worth  and  Pillow.  The 
duty  of  superintending  the  evacuation  of  the  capital,  and 
subsequent  embarkation  from  Vera  Cruz,  devolved  upon 
the  temporary  general-in-chief.  Major  General  Butler. 
In  the  early  part  of  June,  the  greater  part  of  the  soldiers 
in  the  city  of  Mexico  marched  for  Vera  Cruz,  under  the 
supervision  of  Mr.  Sevier.  They  left  the  latter  city  by 
detachments,  reached  New  Orleans  about  the  middle  of 
June,  and  thence  proceeded,  by  steamboat  or  railway, 
towards  their  respective  homes.  Nothing  can  exceed 
the  enthusiasm  with  which  these  toil-worn  veterans  were 
hailed,  as  they  entered,  regiment  by  regiment,  into  the 
cities,  from  which,  two  years  before,  they  had  marched 


ii' 
♦1 


15 


170 


HISTORY  OF  THE  IRISH   SETTLERS,   ETC. 


to  the  scene  of  strife.  Business  was  suspended,  the  pop- 
ulation rushed  to  meet  them,  military  and  civic  pro- 
cessions attended  their  march,  banquets  were  spread, 
addresses  delivered,  and  presents  bestowed  on  them 
throughout  their  route.  Thus  closed,  after  a  duration  of 
two  years,  the  Mexican  War." 


■>.■:  sail 
-'i  f.  ■;;  "i 


.    >■%,  i  f^ 


:i  >  .1  .'■ 


%  k^i'y:: 


CHAPTER   XXIV. 


'^ 


THK  CENSUS  or  1850  —  IRISH  CONTINGENT  TO  THE  POPULATION  OF  THE  UNION  — 
OHABACTEB  OF  FORMER  IRISH  EMIGRATIONS  —  THE  POUTICAL  REFUGEES  OF  1848 
—  FATHER  MATHEW'S  VISIT  —  MIUTART  COMPANIES  —  POSITION  AND  REQUIRB- 
MENTB  OF  THE   IRISH    IN   AMERICA,   A.    D.    1861. 

The  decennial  census,  just  taken,  seems  likely,  when 
digested,  to  show  a  total  popubrlon  of  nearly  25,000,000 
in  the  Union,  including  an  Irish  contingent  of  some 
4,000,000,  at  the  close  of  the  year,  1850. 

If  we  are  to  estimate  the  influence  of  this  element  in 
the  composition  of  American  character,  we  must  not  only 
take  its  past  success  on  this  continent,  but  the  achieve- 
ments of  its  emigrants  in  Europe  and  South  America,  into 
consideration.  Especially  should  we  consider  their  agency 
of  antagonism  in  the  British  system. 

Edmund  Spenser,  whose  work  on  Ireland  displays 
many  reflections  of  wonderful  originality,  gives  expression 
to  this  very  thought.  He  says  he  has  often  thought  that 
Ireland  was  reserved  to  be  a  judgment  on  England,  and 
that  by  her  hand  England  would  be  humbled. 

For  seven  hundred  years,  the  Almighty,  for  his  own 
ends,  has  kept  those  two  islands  in  a  state  of  warfare  and 
hostility,  England  influencing  Ireland,  and  Ireland  con- 
trolling England.  Richard  the  Second's  Irish  wars  pro- 
duced the  wars  of  "the  Roses,"  which  occupied  England 
a  century.  Bruce,  beaten  and  banished  from  his  own 
country,  finds  a  shelter  in  Ireland,  and  returns  from 
Rathlin  to  conquer  at  Bannockburn.  Henry  VIII.  be- 
comes a  reformer  and  king  of  Ireland,  and  it  costs  his 
daughter  ^£20, 000, 000,  and,  it  is  said,  a  broken  heart,  to 
subdue'the  northern  chiefs.  Ireland  fights  for  the  Stuarts 
who  robbed  her,  and  goes  into  exile,  as  if  for  the  express 
purpose  of  meeting  and  routing  the  armies  of  Britain  at 


172 


A  HISTORY  OP  THE 


Fontenoy  and  Dettingen.  The  Irish  emigrate  to  A  ■  r*.  ^ , 
and  help  to  take  this  continent  from  England  in  i  <  t'5,  as 
they  now  help  to  keep  it  anti-British  in  temper  and 
policy. 

Is  it  too  much  to  expect  this  result  from  such  an  ele- 
ment in  the  great  republic?  Before  you  say  "Yes," 
remember  the  work  of  our  exiles  performed  in  one 
generation,  when  they  turned  their  steps  not  to  the  New 
World  beyond  the  ocean,  but  to  the  shores  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean. 

They  were  either  students  in  search  of  schools,  or 
soldiers  in  search  of  fighting.  The  former  reckoned  on 
the  bourses  founded  by  professors  and  D.D.'s  from  home ; 
and  the  soldiers,  poor  fellows,  counted  on  the  counte- 
nance of  those  who  were  gone  before  them  to  get  them 
something  to  do !  Both  classes  worked  hard,  and  both 
won  fame  and  rank.  It  is  easier  to  follow  the  soldier 
class,  who  left  their  mark  wherever  they  went.  ^f*  t 

Of  these,  two  became  Marshals  of  France  (Sarsfield 
and  O'Brien) ;  two  Marshals  of  Austria  (Kavanagh  and 
Prince  Nugent);  five  Grandees  of  Spain  (0' Sullivan, 
Lawless,  Gardiner,  O'Kiley,  and  O'Donnell) ;  two  Mar- 
shals in  Russia  (Lacy  and  Browne.) 

Of  general  officers,  it  would  be  hard  to  muster  the  lists. 
The  Irish  governors  of  important  posts  are  more  easily 
enumerated.  One  Browne  was  Governor  of  Deva,  for 
Austria ;  another.  Governor- General  of  Livonia  for  Rus- 
sia ;  Count  Thomond  was  Commander  at  Languedoc ;  Lally 
was  Governor  of  Pondicherry ;  one  Kavanagh  was  Gover- 
nor of  Prague ;  another,  of  Buda ;  O'Dwyer  was  Com- 
mander of  Belgrade ;  Lacy,  of  Riga ;  and  Lawless, 
Governor  of  Majorca. 

Of  the  civil  offices  attained  by  these  emigrants,  we 
find  that  Kavanagh,  Baron  Linditz,  and  Count  Nugent, 
were  Aulic  Councillors  ;  Marshal  Maurice  Kavanagh  was 
Chamberlain  of  Poland ;  Colonel  Harold,  Chamberlain  of 
Bavaria;  Sutton,  Count  of  Clonard,  Governor  of  the 
Dauphin,  in  France ;  the  Marquis  M'Mahon  was  one  of 
the  first  French  agents  to  these  states,  for  which  service  he 


r 


ntlBH   SETTLERS  IN  NORTH  AMERICA. 


173 


>» 


received  the  badge  of  the  Revolutionary  Order  of  Cincin- 
natus,  from  Washington  and  the  French  Order  of  St.  Louis, 
from  Louis  XVI. ;  Patrick  Lawless,  Ambassador  from  Spain 
to  France  ;  Dominick  O'Daly,  Ambassador  from  Portugal 
to  France ;  and  Nugent,  Minister  of  Austria  at  Berlin ; 
and  Clarke,  Duke  de  Feltre,  Minister  of  War,  in  France. 

In  Spanish  America,  the  Captains  General  O'Higgins 
of  Chili,  O'Donoju  of  Mexico,  and  O'Donnell  of  Cuba ; 
the  Supreme  Director  O'Higgins ;  the  Generals  O'Riley, 
O'Brien,  and  Devereux ;  the  Colonels  McKenna,  O'Leary, 
O'Connor  and  0' Carroll,  were  all  men  of  one  generation 
— all  Irishmen  by  birth  or  parentage. 

To  North  America,  within  seventy  years,  we  have  con- 
tributed ten  majors  general,  five  commodores,  a  presi- 
dent, two  vice-presidents,  six  authors  of  the  Constitution, 
nine  signers  of  the  Declaration,  upwards  of  twenty  gen- 
erals of  brigade,  and  an  inmiense  amount  of  minor 
officers,  and  rank  and  file  to  the  army.  Considering  that 
till  yesterday  all  education  was  limited  to  a  caste,  in 
Ireland ;  considering  how  the  individual  is  oppressed  in 
the  defeat  of  his  nation ;  considering  the  more  fortunate 
lot  of  the  self-governing  countries,  with  whose  native  sons 
our  emigrants  have  had  to  compete  in  the  old  world  and 
the  new,  the  achievements  of  her  exiles  are  a  glory  and 
a  promise,  precious  to  Ireland. 

It  seems  wonderful  that  so  many  mere  Irishmen,  in 
the  same  century,  should  force  themselves,  by  dint  of 
service,  into  so  many  important  posts,  in  such  old  coun- 
tries, and  over  the  heads  of  so  many  native  rivals.  They 
all  emigrated  poor — their  land,  if  they  inherited  any, 
being  confiscated.  They  had,  as  it  were,  to  beg  their 
education,  literary  and  military,  and  to  serve  long  and 
hazardous  probations,  before  they  attracted  the  attention 
of  kings.  Still,  that  they  did  rise,  and  that  they  kept 
the  vantage-ground  they  gained,  is  apparent  as  the  day. 

The  Irish  emigrants  of  to-day  are  the  kith  and  kin  of 
these  men  of  history ;  and,  we  think,  there  are  causes 
working  for  them,  which  will  produce  results  not  unworthy 
of  the  past. 

15* 


174 


A  HISTORY  OP  THE 


ll. 


m 


The  arrival  of  a  number  of  educated  men,  of  their  own 
nation,  to  settle  among  them,  is  one  such  cause.  Chiefly 
barristers  and  journalists,  if  they  remain  true  to  the  cause 
of  their  race,  (as  there  is  no  reason,  in  any  instance,  to 
doubt,)  they  may  exercise  an  immense  influence  for  good 
over  the  general  fortunes.* 

The  visit  of  "  Father  Mathew"  to  this  country  is 
another  source  of  hope  for  us.  That  unwearied  preacher 
of  temperance  has  visited  all  the  districts  where  the  Irish 
emigrants  abound,  and  in  less  than  two  years  has  pledged 
over  three  hundred  thousand  persons  to  live  sober  and 
peaceful  lives. 

What  a  life  his  has  been  !  Unlike  too  many  modern 
reformers,  who  insist  on  their  theories  with  all  the  heat 
of  proselytism,  and  utterly  neglect  the  details  of  good, 
his  lips  have  not  grown  white  in  theorizing,  but  in  exhort- 
ing and  blessing  multitudes,  individual  by  individual. 
Those  of  wliom  society  and  the  laws  despair,  —  who  are 
often  considered  as  hopelessly  beyond  the  Christian  pale,  — 
for  these  he  has,  hoping  and  toiling,  worn  his  life  away. 
Truly  may  it  be  said  of  him,  as  Grattan  said  of  Kirwan, 
*'  ih  feeding  the  lamp  of  charity,  he  exhausted  the  lamp 
of  life." 

Next  to  intemperance,  ignorance  is  the  emigrant's 
worst  foe.  From  ignorance,  faction,  quarrels,  partisan- 
ship, losses  innumerable  flow.  To  found  adult  schools, 
circulating  libraries,  and  debating  rooms  ;  to  make  good 
use  of  our  newspaper  press  ;  to  prepare  cheap  and  suita- 
ble books  for  a  neglected  people  ;  these  are  the  solemn 
obligations  resting  upon  the  educated  and  wealthy  of  our 
Irish- American  citizens. 

Every  Celt  has  an  inherent  taste  for  rhetoric  and  the 
arts.  Witness  the  long  array  of  poets,  artists,  and  orators, 
produced  even  in  those  Litter  days  of  our  provincialism. 
To  elevate,  purify,  and  direct  wisely  these  natural  tastes, 
should  be  the  main  purpose  of  all  the  educational  institu- 
tions we  may  create. 


*  Of  llie  political  refugpcs  of  1848,  the  preat  hulk  are  settled  in  Now  York 
city.    There  are  some,  however,  in  several  other  states  and  cities. 


IRISH   SETTLERS   IN   NORTH   AMERICA. 


175 


The  profession  of  arms  has,  also,  a  natural  attraction, 
for  this  race.  In  old  Ireland,  every  man  was  a  soldier, 
but  in  modern  Ireland,  England  punishes  the  study  of 
arms  as  she  does  felony.  We  must  revive  the  taste  for 
tactics,  wherever,  on  this  continent,  there  are  an  hundred 
of  us  together. 

There  are  men  enough  ambitious  of  command  in  every 
city.  But,  to  command,  it  is  necessary  to  learn ;  to 
learn  slowly,  patiently,  practically ;  to  learn  through 
years  of  service,  as  the  young  draper,  Ney,  and  the 
drummer  boy,  Bernadotte,  learned  how  to  be  marshals, 
and  to  stand  next  to  Napoleon ;  to  learn  to  command 
themselves  first  and  others  after ;  to  learn  self-control, 
quick  thinking,  and  ready  action ;  to  learn  to  discrimi- 
nate wheat  men  from  chaff  men — to  discover  an  officer 
among  the  privates,  and  to  lift  him  up  to  his  rank  with- 
out exciting  ill-will  in  others.  In  a  word,  the  policy  of 
military  life  is  as  essential  as  the  policy  of  civil  life  ;  and 
men  in  field  and  camp,  city  and  congress,  are,  after  all, 
made  of  the  same  identical  stuff,  and  subject  to  the  same 
kindred  defects  and  passions. 

It  is  said,  Irishmen  will  not  serve  under  Irish  officers, 
though  they  will  under  English,  French,  or  American. 
What  is  the  inference  ?  That  the  fault  is  in  the  Irish 
officers,  not  in  the  men.  If  it  is  not  to  the  service,  or  to 
officers,  as  officers,  they  object,  it  must  be  to  the  particu- 
lar character  of  this  particular  class.  If  we  look  long  at 
it,  we  find  that  where  an  Irish  captain  or  colonel  is  just, 
firm,  and  friendly  with  his  men,  they  obey  him  as  any 
other  officer.  In  the  Mexican  war,  no  Irish  soldier  but 
was  proud  to  follow  General  Shields.  Wherever  the 
officer  is  not  obeyed  or  respected,  the  explanation  will  be 
found  to  be,  that  he,  not  the  men,  are  to  blame. 

We  have  now  throughout  the  United  States  some 
twenty-five  or  thirty  Irish  companies.  We  have  drilled 
men  enough  scattered  through  the  militia  to  make  as 
many  more.  There  are,  perliaps,  in  the  several  states, 
50,000  niitiv6s  of  Ireland  who  have  some  smattering  of 
military  discipline.     In  New  York  City  we  have  an  Irish 


176 


A  HISTORY   OF  THE 


regiment,  whose  captains  refute  the  imputation  that  Irish 
ofl&cers  are  not  suited  to  command  Irish  soldiers. 

To  such  officers,  especially,  some  degree  of  military 
science  is  essential.  No  army,  no  regiment,  can  be  ma- 
noeuvred without  science.  England  has  her  Woolwich 
and  other  academies ;  France,  her  Poly  technique  and 
other  military  schools ;  Russia  has  200,000  students  of 
miUtary  science  in  her  schools  of  war.  Even  republican 
and  anti-standing-army  America  has  its  West  Point. 
Various  works  on  tactics  are  easily  had  in  this  country, 
and  ought  to  be  had  ;  for  it  is  not  marching  men 
through  open  streets,  or  defiling  by  a  newspaper  office,  or 
presiding  over  a  target  excursion,  that  can  alone  make 
good  officers.  In  these  things,  the  merest  popinjay 
might  excel  General  Scott.  But  it  is  the  reading  military 
books,  —  the  study  of  the  lives  of  generals  and  gueriUas, 
—  of  AVashington  and  Marion,  Wellington  and  Zumala- 
caregui,  that  will  make  an  officer  in  the  highest  sense  of 
the  term.  The  officers  of  every  Irish  company  Avill,  we 
hope,  have  a  small  library  of  such  books,  well  thumbed 
over. 

We  desire  to  see  the  military  spirit  of  our  ancestors 
revive  hi.xa.  flourish  among  the  Irish  in  America,  because 
it  will  swi.xiow  faction,  —  because  we  now  want,  and  will 
more  and  more  want,  all  the  practical  science,  military, 
mechanical  and  political,  we  can  attain.* 

Against  the  encroachments  of  landlordism  it  is  neces- 
sary also  to  warn  those  who  live  in  crowded  communi- 
ties. As  no  people  have  suffered  from  that  terrible 
social  despotism  so  much  as  ours,  so  none  should  resist 
its  spread  so  resolutely.  Every  Irish  emigrant  should 
consider  it  the  test  of  his  manhood  to  have  a  house  of 
his  own,  —  altogether  his  own. 

The  frequent  reading  of  the  Declaration  of  Indepen- 
dence, and  the  Constitution  under  which  we  live,  is  also 
a  duty.     We  cannot  be  good  citizens,  or  wise  electors, 

•  Oliver  Byrne,  of  New  York,  the  distinguished  engineer  and  mathemati- 
cian, lias  done  more  than  any  other  man  to  infuse  into  his  emigrant  country- 
men a  military  spirit. 


IRISH   SETTLERS  IN   NORTH   AMERICA. 


177 


I 

■4 


unless  we  refresh  our  principles  at  these  fountains  of 
American  law  and  liberty.  It  is  unnecessary  to  urge  on 
our  emigrants  the  importance  of  going  through  the  forms 
of  naturalization. 

It  might  be  improper  to  refer,  in  this  place,  to  the  most 
important  of  all  topics,  religion.  Our  emigrants  have  the 
benefit  of  the  teachings  of  an  increasing  and  improving 
priesthood,  who  will  not  suffer  them  to  forget  their  spir- 
itual obligations. 

These  wants  of  character  being  supplied,  our  emi- 
grants, as  a  cUiss,  have  but  one  thing  more  to  overcome 
on  this  continent,  British  influence.  For,  disguise  it  as 
men  may,  that  influence,  whether  exercised  through  laws, 
commerce,  or  books,  is  fundamentally  hostile  to  all  ^vho 
bear  the  Irish  name,  apostates  excepted. 

The  successive  British  governments  never  would 
study  the  Irish  nature,  and,  hence,  never  could  govern  it. 
They  despised  our  history,  and  insisted  on  it  that  tlie 
cariciiures  of  cockney  imagination  were  true  portraits 
of  Irish  character.  They  sldpped  us  laws,  ready  made, 
and  punished  us  becjuise  we  were  not  patient  with  the 
mis-fit.  The  key  to  all  Ireland's  modern  wars,  sorrows, 
and  agitations,  is,  that  those  who  had  the  power  to  shape 
her  destiny,  never  had  the  conscience  to  study  her  capa- 
bilities. 

We  must  resist  every  semblance  of  such  conduct  on 
the  part  of  the  puljlic  men  and  thinkers  on  this  continent. 
Every  attempt  to  caricature  or  proscribe,  every  eftbrt  to 
exalt  the  Anglo-Saxon  over  the  other  races  here  undergo- 
ing solution,  we  nuist  resist  with  reason,  argument,  and 
if  need  be,  with  well-used  suflrages. 

All  tlie  more  generous  natures  will  be  easily  convinced 
that  it  is  nut  a  worthy  course  to  judge  the  vanquished 
out  of  tlie  victor's  mouth  ;  that,  if  Ireland  has  done 
her  part  on  this  soil,  she  deserves  her  history  to  be  read 
liere,  her  genius  to  be  studied,  and  her  national  character 
to  be  respected.  Witli  such  men,  who  compose,  per- 
haps, a  majority  oi'  this  whole  people,  arguments  such  as 
these  would  generally  be  found  availing :  — 


178 


A  HISTORY  OF  THB 


I 


**  There  is  no  observation  more  true,  than  that  men  are 
the  creatures  of  circumstance.  Individual  men  are,  per- 
haps, less  so  than  nations.  Nations  are  the  creatures  of 
their  own  geography,  their  history,  and  their  imagina- 
tions. In  this  Union,  the  idea  of  sovereignty  is  the 
extent  of  the  state.  When  the  individual  measures  him- 
self against  the  continent,  he  feels  its  sovereign  suprem- 
acy. In  England,  the  seat  of  sovereignty  is  in  the  sea. 
In  France,  the  unity  of  the  provinces  is  the  monarchy 
of  all. 

**  The  Irish,  also,  who  settle  in  America,  are  creatures 
of  their  own  antecedents.  The  Atlantic  works  no  mira- 
cle on  them.  They  come  to  these  shores,  the  produc- 
tion of  British  power.  Disfranchised  in  their  native 
land,  the  suffrage  is  a  novelty  to  them ;  disarmed,  the 
use  of  arms  is  a  possession  not  understood  ;  ruled  by  a 
class,  they  abhor  the  very  semblance  of  class  legislation  ; 
untrained  to  freedom,  they  make  but  a  poor  figure,  at 
first,  as  freemen. 

**  The  tendency  of  all  class  legislation  is  to  obliterate 
in  men  the  double  sense  of  their  rights  and  their  duties. 
Deny  their  rights,  and  you  destroy  their  duties ;  for 
rights  and  duties  are  two  sides  of  the  same  medal,  and 
the  people  that  are  jealous  of  their  rights  must  necessa- 
rily be  true  to  their  duties. 

**  The  naturalized  citizen  will  not  only  have  to  cast  off 
his  British  allegiance,  but  also  to  get  rid  of  his  British 
education.  The  effects  of  laws  are  known  to  remain 
after  the  laws  have  been  long  abolished ;  and  it  is  of 
these  enervating,  humbling,  debasing  effects,  the  emi- 
grant from  Ireland  has  to  rid  himself. 

*'  In  this  good  work  of  transition  from  subjection  to 
citizenship,  the  natives  of  free  America  should  be  the 
sponsors  and  catechists.  Being  themselves  free,  nothing 
is  left  for  them  so  glorious  to  do  as  to  impart  their  free- 
dom to  others. 

"  It  is  not  worthy  of  this  great  nation  to  take  its  polit- 
ical philosophy  at  second-hand  from  any  nation.  Eng- 
land has  endeavored  to  misrepresent  America  to  Europe, 


mj 


IMSH   SETTLERS  IN   NORTH  AMERICA. 


179 


mare 

per- 

es  of 


fi 


and  Europe  to  America.  She  tries  to  be  the  interna- 
tional intelligencer.  She  holds  up  contrary  mirrors  to 
opposite  states,  in  which  each  shows  to  disadvantage  ia 
the  eyes  of  the  other.  She  *  speaks  with  a  double-tongua 
contradictory  languages.'  It  will  not  do  to  trust  her  as 
the  interpreter  of  nations,  still  less  as  the  limner  of  her 
own  vanquished  provinces. 

"  Whether  we  may  wish  it  or  not,  one  half  of  Ireland 
is  here.  We  grieve  that  these  laborious  and  obedient 
men  were  not  possessed  of  a  land  of  their  own ;  you  may 
regret  that  they  possess  already  too  much  of  yours.  But 
whether  we  would  alter  it,  or  not,  they  are  here.  Here, 
by  the  immediate  action  of  British  misrule,  here  by  the 
primal  authority  of  man's  first  charter,  —  *  Go  forth,  and 
fill  the  earth  and  subdue  it.'  We  live  in  a  world  of  facts, 
and  this  is  one  of  its  greatest.  How,  then,  shall  we  deal 
with  this  great  human  force  so  placed  at  our  disposal  ? 
Shall  we,  who  do  not  suffer  the  obscurest  stream  to  escape 
unused  to  the  ocean,  disregard  what  is  of  infinitely  more 
value,  the  right  use  and  direction  of  this  moral  Niagara, 
emigration  ?  Physically,  our  emigrants  are  well- worked ; 
nor  do  we  underrate  their  value  in  that  view.  But  are 
they  not  also  of  use  as  moral  agents  ?  Have  they  not 
memory,  will,  and  reason  ?  Have  they  not  imagination, 
wit,  and  the  desire  to  please  and  excel  ?  Are  we,  dem- 
ocrats of  the  model  republic,  to  regard  men  as  machines, 
and  M  count  them  by  the  head,  like  cattle,  rather  than 
by  souls,  like  Christians  ? 

"0,  believe  me,  American  reader,  ours  is  a  people 
very  teachable  by  those  they  love.  Deal  tenderly  with 
their  failings,  they  are  a  fallen  race.  Do  not  pander  to 
their  party  prejudices,  but  appeal  to  their  common  sense 
and  love  of  fair  play.  Do  not  make  the  weak,  weaker, 
and  the  dependen  lUore  dependent,  but  endeavor  to  fit 
them  for  equality,  as  well  as  liberty,  so  that  the  land 
may  rejoice,  and  be  secure  in  the  multitude  of  its  well- 
instructed  children." 


"  What  conaLtuies  a  State? 
Not  high-raised  jattlements,  or  labored  mound. 


180 


HISTORY  OP   THE  IRISH   SETTLERS,  ETC. 


Thick  walls,  or  moated  gate ; 
Not  cities  proud,  with  spires  and  turrets  crowned. 

Not  bays,  and  broad-armed  ports, 
Where,  laughing  at  the  storm,  rich  navies  ride ; 

Nor  starred  and  spangled  courts, 
Where  low-browed  baseness  wafts  perfume  to  pride. 

No.     Men,  high-minded  men. 

Men  who  their  duties  know. 
But  know  their  rights ;  and  knowing,  dare  maintain ; 
Prevent  the  long-aimed  blow, 
'  Ana  crush  the  tyrant,  while  they  rend  the  chain." 

Such  a  presentation  of  the  case  of  the  recent  emigrant, 
addi  e.^jed  to  individuals  or  societies  in  America,  could 
not  long  be  made  in  vain.  British  prejudicys  would  fade 
before  it,  and  while  the  Irish  would  become  more  Amer- 
ican, on  the  disappearance  of  that  hostile  influence, 
/•.;uerica  in  temperament  and  policy  would  become  insen- 
J5ibly  more  Irish. 

No  people,  —  not  even  the  Yiatives  of  New  England, — 
have  a  greater  interest  in  tho  preservation  of  the  Union, 
than  the  Celts  in  America.  What  we  never  got  from 
England,  we  have  here,  —  equal  laws  and  equal  justice. 
And  now,  if,  as  seems  the  fact,  our  ancient  and  implaca- 
ble enemy,  through  the  agencies  of  corruption  and  flat- 
tery, seeks  to  undermine  this  Union,  —  our  refuge,  liber- 
ation, and  relief,  —  the  Irish  in  America,  as  a  mass,  as 
one  man,  must  choose  their  place  under  the  Constitution. 
Tlie  Union  gives  us  homes,  sufl'ragcs,  and  wages  ;  the 
Union  gires  us  peace,  plenty,  and  equality  ;  the  Union 
protect,'  our  altars,  confers  our  lands,  accepts  our  services 
in  pe;.ee  and  war,  and  educates  our  children.  The  Union 
abolished  the  local  persecutions  of  the  Puritans  and  the 
Huguenot  in  Maryland  and  Mab.\i!jhusetts.  The  Union 
burns  no  convents,  sacks  no  graves,  outrages  no  rite  of 
religion,  nor  does  it  insult  any  of  its  sacred  teachers. 
By  the  Union,  therefore,  we,  too,  "  stand  or  fall,  survive 
or  perish,"  ant,  with  Andrew  Jackson,  our  motto  as 
American  settlers  is,  *'the  Union,  it  must  be  pre- 
served." 


